Published-Ahead-of-Print April 25, 2007, DOI:10.2164/jandrol.107.002899
Journal of Andrology, Vol. 28, No. 4, July/August 2007
Copyright © American Society of Andrology
DOI: 10.2164/jandrol.107.002899
Interviews With Andrologists (Part 3)
SARIKA SARASWATI
| Received for publication April 8, 2007;
accepted for publication April 9, 2007. |
Dr Terry T. Turner
Dr Turner is currently a Professor of Urology and Cell Biology at the
University of Virginia School of Medicine. He finished his doctorate work
under the guidance of Dr Doyle Johnson in 1974 and his postdoctoral research
with Dr Carl Pauerstein at Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Since
then, Dr Turner has been at the University of Virginia, where he has spent
some time working with Dr Stuart Howards. Dr Turner is well known for his
remarkable work in studying the role of the epididymal epithelium
microenvironment on sperm maturation and the role of oxidative stress in
disrupting spermatogenesis. His research has led to more than 100
publications. Dr Turner has been actively involved in multiple activities of
the American Society of Andrology, including as Chair of the Student Affairs
Committee (1981–84), Chair of the Awards Committee (1986–87),
Chair of the 1995 Program Committee (1993–95), Secretary
(1988–92), member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of
Andrology (1993–97), Vice President (1996), and President (1997).
Dr Turner's lists of accomplishments are numerable and memorable not only to
the American Society of Andrology but to the research community at large.
Therefore, it is certainly considered a privilege to share the following
interview with Dr Turner in which he discusses his journey into the field of
andrology along with some career advice for the trainees.
What led you to andrology?
In graduate school I chose a mentor who was a reproductive physiologist. He
had a strong background in testis biology and was developing an interest in
the epididymis. I did my graduate work on the epididymis because I thought its
role in sperm maturation and sperm storage was an interesting biological
puzzle. Further, I liked the idea that a better understanding of the
epididymis would improve our understanding of male infertility as well as give
new insights into the possibilities for male contraception. Nevertheless,
about the time I was to begin looking for a postdoctoral position, I was told
there would likely be little future in male reproductive biology. It was quite
clear at the time (this was in the mid 1970s) that most research funding was
for studies in the female. With that in mind, I went to a postdoc in oviductal
physiology. I considered the oviduct interesting because, like the epididymis,
it was a tube with an epithelium under endocrine control. It turned out the
advice about there being no career in male reproduction was wrong. I was only
in my postdoc for a year when I saw an advertisement in Science for a
junior faculty position at the University of Virginia. The position was for an
individual to do research on the epididymis, which was right down my alley.
The position was in a Department of Urology, the medical specialty that deals
with male fertility/infertility, and Dr Stuart Howards there was leading a
research interest in the epididymis. I applied for the position, was accepted,
and have been at UVA ever since with a joint appointment in Cell Biology.
Who was the most influential person in your career?
It is hard to name just one. Stuart Howards demonstrated by his actions
what a true clinician-scientist should be: bright, dedicated, honest,
respectful of others, and intent on having his basic research be as good as
that coming from basic science departments. I think of Brian Setchell because
of his pioneering work at the time in testis and seminiferous tubule
physiology and because of the unstinting interest he showed in young
investigators just breaking into the game. Marie Claire Orgebin-Crist was
always an influence because of the high quality of the work coming from her
laboratory and the high quality of the person behind the work. I would add
David Hamilton, whose writings on the epididymis interested me from the
beginning of graduate school; Larry Ewing, whose studies on the endocrine
testis helped my own progress; and Rupert Amann, whose sharp eye and questions
were a always a tutorial in data evaluation. Finally, I add Bayard Storey,
whose life of gracious curiosity has benefited so many.
What is your proudest scientific accomplishment to date?
I don't know. I suppose in the general sense it's just being able to stay
funded for 31 years! A couple of things stand out in a somewhat more specific
way. I am proud of the body of work I did with Stuart Howards on the
blood-testis and blood-epididymal barriers and intraluminal microenvironments
in the male tract. More recently, I am proud of my work on the segmented
nature of the epididymal tubule, including studies with Dan Johnston and Scott
Jelensky that have provided the segmented epididymal transcriptome for both
the mouse and rat epididymis (available at the Mammalian Reproductive Genetics
website). Those studies provide high-resolution encyclopedias of epididymal
gene expression (over 30,000 transcripts covered) that are available to any
interested investigator. It is already clear that the data are being used by
others, because there have already been over 5,500 hits on the mouse
epididymis data alone.
What career advice would you give to trainees?
Play fair. Help others and, generally, they will help you. Study to show
thyself approved. Do something you're really interested in because it is very
likely that sooner or later the interests of others will not sustain you.
Expect good times and good friends; you will have them to help make a
fulfilling life. Expect some hard times, too; they will come and you don't
want to be surprised. Grit wins out. Elegance has its place, but there is more
to simple persistence than we scientists like to credit.
