Ann M. Arvin : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Ann Arvin describes her early life and educational background, her research on the varicella- zoster virus, and her position as Stanford’s Associate Dean of Research from 2001 to 2006 and as Vice Provost and Dean of Research from 2006 to 2018. Highlights include her description of studying T cell responses to herpesviruses, her work on interdisciplinary initiatives as Vice Provost, and her experiences as one of the pioneering women faculty at Stanford’s School of Medicine.
- Summary
- Early life in Champagne-Urbana and Carbondale, Illinois • Parents and grandparents • Parental expectations • Schooling • Memories of polio vaccine as a child • Children’s books about famous women and exposure to women in science • Decision to attend Brown, memories of student life and activities • Majoring in philosophy • Reflections on gender and career aspirations while in college • Memorable feedback from Roderick Chisholm • Beginning work on a PhD in philosophy at Brandeis • Memories of the anti-Vietnam War movement and the women’s movement • Decision to pursue a career in medicine • Medical school at the University of Pennsylvania • Electives, including studying the public health system in Yugoslavia • Memories of encountering discrimination and paternalism in medical school and of feeling free to speak out against it • Interest in pediatrics • Research in the context of patient care at Penn • Specialty rotation assignment to the UCSF lab of pediatric cardiologist, Abe Rudolph • Working with sheep models • Internship / Residency at UCSF, including working with neonates • Designing a custom UCSF-Stanford research and clinical fellowship program in infectious diseases with the help of Moses Grossman • Tom Merigan’s research interests in viral infections in immunocompromised patients and immune response • Learning to measure T cell responses to viral proteins and working with the varicella-zoster virus • Involvement in early studies of the chicken pox vaccine • Joining the Stanford faculty in 1978 • Differences in the level of research support from what was available at UCSF • Scarcity of women in the Stanford School of Medicine • Support from the dean’s office for hiring women faculty • Cohort of four new female assistant professors in the School of Medicine • Life in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics • Clinical teaching • Culture of the Department of Pediatrics, including chair Irv Schulman • Death of Anne Yeager, colleague in Stanford Division of Infectious Diseases • Recruitment of Charles Prober to Stanford • NIH research career development award • Impact of joint appointment in Department of Microbiology and Immunology with help of Stan Falkow • Shift in research from viral immunology to virology • Working with SCID mouse models • Latency property in herpes viruses • Research on response to inactivated shingles vaccine in transplant patients • Recent shingles vaccine made from glycoprotein E • Basic research on glycoproteins • Collaborations and physician scientists model • Typical encounters with the research administrative apparatus as a faculty member • Anecdote from medical school about challenging the overnight sleeping arrangements in the on-call room for surgical residents • Stanford University Fellows Program • Position as Associate Dean of Research, including efforts to reduce administrative burdens on faculty • Impact of 9/11 and subsequent legislation on research at the university • Dean of Research Charles Kruger • Dean of Research Artie Bienenstock • Recruitment to the Dean of Research position, including John Hennessy’s persuasive vision regarding interdisciplinary research • Early interdisciplinary initiatives in the social sciences at Stanford • Negotiating for resources for the Division of Infectious Diseases, Pediatrics • Description of Dean of Research job, including service as cognizant dean of the independent labs, centers, and institutes • Faculty appointments in independent labs, institutes, and centers, including incentives to build interdisciplinary programs • 1982 policy for establishing independent labs, centers, and institutes • Faculty turnover • Additional comments on 1982 policy and ability of Stanford to build upon this model when establishing new programs • New initiatives, including Bio-X • Importance of physical space of the Clark Center in bringing interdisciplinary teams together • Proximity creates joint trainees • Designing space for interdisciplinary research, especially Ginzton Lab and Neurosciences and Chem-H buildings • Other initiatives, including changes at the Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI), the Humanities Center, and launching the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA) • Hennessy’s philosophy of providing start-up funding to launch institutes and position them to compete for outside funding and philanthropy • Changes at the Center for Advanced Research in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) • Rewards of working with the faculty directors of the independent labs • Working to build connections between campus and SLAC researchers • High-Performance Research Computing Center • Thoughts on being the first School of Medicine faculty to hold the position of Dean of Research • Advocating for a new approach to shared facilities as research hubs and the example of the Nano shared research facility • Funding for junior faculty, including pilot project grants • Working with the Development Office • Frustrations of the Dean of Research job • Stepping down from Dean of Research position • Current research • The Faculty Women’s Caucus and efforts to increase the number of women on the Faculty Senate • Sense that there is a commitment to junior faculty at Stanford • Reflections on the slow process of hiring more women faculty • Advice for future Deans of Research
Description
| Type of resource | moving image, sound recording-nonmusical, text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 4 video files; 1 text file; 4 audio files; 1 photograph |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | July 24, 2019 - 2019-08-12 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Arvin, Ann M. | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Arvin, Ann M. | |
| Interviewer | Marine-Street, Natalie J. | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Arvin, Ann M. |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Microbiology and Immunology |
| Subject | Stanford University. Office of the Dean of Research |
| Subject | Pediatrics > Research |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Ann Arvin, MD, is the Lucile Salter Packard Professor of Pediatrics (infectious disease), Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Vice Provost and Dean of Research, Emeritus, at Stanford University. Arvin’s laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms of varicella zoster virus pathogenesis and her clinical research focuses on the developing immune system in infants and young children in the context of viral infections and vaccines. Previously, she was chief of the Infectious Diseases Division at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford from 1984 to 2006. Dr. Arvin is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences; the National Academy of Medicine; the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the Academy of the American Society for Microbiology; the Association of American Physicians; and the American Pediatric Society. Her committee service related to infectious diseases and vaccines has included the Director’s Advisory Council, NIAID; the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, HHS; the NAS/NRC Board on Life Sciences, the Committees on Policy and Global Affairs, and Science, Technology and Law; IOM Committee on the Scientific Uses of Variola Virus (chair); WHO Steering Committee on Research Related to Measles Vaccines (chair); NIAID Blue Ribbon Panel on Influenza; and the President’s Council on Science and Technology Influenza Working Groups. She earned her AB from Brown University, MA from Brandeis University, and MD degree from the University of Pennsylvania. |
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| Transcript |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/my673hz0564 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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