Cultivating scientific collaboration
Barb Trask, director of Human Biology Division
As Barb Trask tugs crimson stalks of rhubarb from the rich, black soil, she reconnects with nature on the tranquil 125-acre property along Washington's Skagit River she stewards with her husband. Trading a lab coat for overalls, this scientist-turned-weekend-farmer finds inspiration as she determines what plants to cultivate for the most bountiful harvest.
She takes a similar approach to leading the Hutchinson Center's Human Biology Division. Trask takes great care to help find scientific pioneers who will blossom and contribute to the division's human disease-focused research, and she does everything possible to nurture their individual and collaborative efforts.
Leading a scientific institution has a unique set of challenges, Trask said. "In business, you look to leaders to provide direction, a framework and delegation of tasks. Science is completely different," she said. "We recruit people who are self-motivated. They are following a path that is driven by their curiosity as well as their expertise."
In addition to supporting new and established scientists, Trask also pursues her own laboratory research. She delves into how our genes are organized to try to discover the genetic basis for human diseases, such as cancer.
Her genome-based research is enabling scientists to distinguish disease-causing changes in DNA from the myriad other changes that cause normal variations among healthy individuals. This information could help other scientists develop more precise diagnostic tools, design new treatments for disease, or provide better advice about lifestyle and health-care choices to people based on their individual genetic makeup.
Her work, Trask said, is enhanced by the Hutchinson Center's collegial culture.
"There are many institutions where individual faculty members become islands, but the Center fosters an atmosphere like a good discussion at a dinner table, when everyone starts feeding off each other and the conversation just keeps going," she said. "That's how a great scientific institution can be — the conversation and our knowledge are taken to a higher level."
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