There's a long list of exciting things
Dr. Elizabeth Rochon has planned for her impending retirement, but the first item is simple.
"Before I do anything, I want to take the summer off, which I don't think I've done since I was a child," she says.
The Associate Director, Scientific, at UHN's KITE Research Institute is understandably eager to schedule a well-deserved and long-awaited break. Since 2019, she's been responsible for maintaining the standards of research excellence at KITE through ongoing reviews, professional development and mentorship.
While it's a tall order, it's been made much easier over the years, with the help of her colleagues.
"I have to work with and listen to my peers on different committees to understand everyone's work and the whole body of our team's research," she says of the 127 scientists she works with at KITE. “It's a very collegial process; I'm just the one who pulls it all together.
"It's not just on me, but on all the different groups of people that I work with to be able to provide mentorship and support to our scientists."
Dr. Rochon believes early collaboration is key to success and urges new trainees to reach out to others to start building the relationships that are necessary to excel.
"It can be kind of intimidating when you're starting out, but I think the more you take your courage in your hands to do that, to advance the goals of your research, the further ahead you'll get more quickly," she says.
'People have really come together to support each other'
For Dr. Rochon, it's gratifying to see how much has changed since she joined the KITE team in 2004.
"We were a rather small group of scientists with big ideas, but relatively little resources and experience, and now it's developed into a much more robust research enterprise," she says.
And while the scope of research taking place at the institute has widened, Dr. Rochon feels that it's been done in a very deliberate and measured manner.
"There's been a real carefulness to developing the breadth of research while maintaining the depth, so I think that's been a real success," she says.
It's the people she's worked with that Dr. Rochon will miss most when she formally steps down from her role on June 30.
"I really enjoyed getting to work with so many different people who give up their time for the work we do," she says. "People have really come together to support each other to have their eye on the prize, in terms of working towards that goal of doing excellent and meaningful research, and I think that permeates throughout the entire organization."
Dr. Rochon's dedication to her role, her scientific research, her trainees and the institute as a whole is expected to leave a lasting impact.
"Elizabeth's leadership and her commitment to maintaining a standard of excellence at KITE will be remembered and I'm immensely grateful for everything she's done to help our team achieve their very best," says
Dr. Milos R. Popovic, KITE Institute Director.
As she leaves her post, Dr. Rochon has a simple piece of advice for her successor,Dr. José Zariffa, but perhaps it's not needed.
"I would tell him to be equitable, transparent and rigorous, while also being kind and compassionate," she says. "But Jose's already all of those things – I've got no qualms."
