In preparation for a career in academic medicine, I worked as a

When Harold E. Varmus declared, “In preparation for a career in academic medicine, I worked as a medical house officer at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital from 1966 to 1968 and then joined Ira Pastan's laboratory at the National Institutes of Health as a Clinical Associate,” he was not merely recounting a path of training. He was describing the sacred journey of apprenticeship, the deliberate forging of a mind and a spirit dedicated to discovery and service. His words carry the weight of initiation, of years in which knowledge was not simply accumulated but tested, refined, and transformed into wisdom.

The first truth he reveals is the importance of preparation. No great achievement comes suddenly, no towering figure of science or medicine arises without years of toil in the shadows. Varmus began as a medical house officer, immersed in the daily struggles of patients, absorbing the rhythms of suffering and healing. These years were not glamorous, but they were essential. Just as the warrior must first learn to wield a wooden sword before entering battle, so too the physician must first serve in humble, exhausting roles before rising to discovery. Preparation is the crucible where strength and humility are forged together.

The second truth lies in his transition from the wards of Columbia-Presbyterian to the halls of the National Institutes of Health, where he entered Ira Pastan’s laboratory. Here, Varmus moved from the bedside to the bench, from treating the sick to exploring the mysteries of disease itself. This transition reflects a profound truth of medicine: that it is both art and science, service and exploration. The healer must not only ease pain but also ask why pain exists, not only treat illness but also unravel its hidden causes. Varmus’s path mirrors this dual calling—healer of the present, seeker of the future.

History gives us many parallels. Think of Hippocrates, who not only tended to the ill but also sought to classify diseases, turning medicine from superstition into knowledge. Or consider Louis Pasteur, who, though not a physician, labored tirelessly in his laboratory, offering to the world the germ theory of disease and the vaccines that spared millions. These figures remind us that the healer and the scientist are not separate roles, but two sides of one sacred vocation. Varmus, by embracing both, walked in the lineage of these great pioneers.

The deeper meaning of his words is that academic medicine is not only about the pursuit of personal ambition, but about the weaving together of service and scholarship for the sake of humanity. The years at Columbia taught him compassion and endurance; the years at NIH taught him curiosity and discipline. Both were necessary. One without the other would have left his career incomplete. His journey teaches us that true greatness comes when service to others and the quest for knowledge converge in one life.

For us, the lesson is profound: embrace the long preparation, the stages of learning that may seem small or unremarkable, for they are the foundation of all mastery. Do not seek shortcuts, for they rob the soul of depth. Be willing to walk both roads—the road of practice and the road of study, the road of labor and the road of vision. In every field, whether medicine, art, or craft, the union of experience and inquiry gives birth to greatness.

Practical wisdom follows: in your own life, seek opportunities to learn by doing, even when the work is humble. Value mentors, as Varmus valued Pastan, for they are the guides who open doors to deeper realms of understanding. Let preparation be embraced with patience, knowing that each stage builds strength. And when your time comes, do not forget the path of service, for knowledge without compassion becomes cold, and compassion without knowledge becomes blind.

Thus, Harold E. Varmus’s words endure as a testament: the healer must prepare, the scholar must serve, and the true physician must be both. Let us walk this path in our own callings—accepting the discipline of preparation, embracing the mentors who guide us, and uniting compassion with curiosity. For in this union lies not only personal fulfillment, but the power to transform the world.