Chris Cashman
“What’s exciting about the physician scientists’ dual degree in particular is the goal of being able to help facilitate, if not completely drive, really taking something from basic science understanding and development into clinical practice and treatment.”
School of Medicine
Neuroscience PhD, MD
Neuromuscular Fellow at Mass General Brigham
Chris‘s Podcast Episode
In this episode, we discuss what led Chris to the field of neuroscience and his experience in the dual MD/PhD program at Johns Hopkins, his advice for seeking out hands-on experiences to help refine and solidify your career aspirations, and his take on the importance of establishing a support system and taking a pendulum approach to finding work/life balance.
Learn More About Chris‘s Story
This is a picture from my Hopkins graduation. It is one my favorite pictures from that point in my life as it really shows that “it takes a village.” As we go through life, it is possible to pick up more and more of these villagers to help us through life’s challenges. Included in this photo are my parents, siblings and their spouses, nephew, wife, in-laws, aunt and uncle, and my research mentor (Dr. Ahmet Höke). All of these people came into my life and different stages, but I was fortunate to have all of their support intersect to help carry me through training and through today.
This is a more recent picture. In it, you can see my wife and son. There was a time when I was considering starting my journey through a dual MD/PhD program for a career as a physician scientist where I wondered if I could do all of that and still have a family. Our son was born during my intern year following my graduate from medical/graduate school. It was a busy clinical time, but I found the love of my family and the simple purity of being a parent produced an entirely new facet of my identity. It was at that moment that I realized I could no longer imagine continuing my training and work without a family.
