By Brandy Nagamine Jul. 29, 2021
“This is only temporary,” I told myself as I switched from pursuing my Ph.D. research to being a COVID-19 diagnostic technician. During the summer, I had been volunteering in a diagnostic laboratory, assaying samples for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Now, the lab was offering to take over paying my stipend, tuition, and fees so I could commit more time to that work—and so my Ph.D. adviser wouldn’t have to support me while I did so. My research progress and graduation were my priority. At the same time, I wanted to continue to do my part to protect my community from the pandemic, as well as help out the lab and ease my adviser’s financial burden. I was torn between the needs of my community and my personal needs.
Prior to starting my Ph.D., I had spent several years working at state veterinary diagnostic laboratories. I enjoyed the diagnostic work, but I wanted to pursue Ph.D.-level research. Four years in, everything was going well as I learned how to combine the precision and speed from my diagnostic training with the flexible thinking and creativity needed for research.