Interviewing Dr. Herschkowitz

I interviewed Dr. Jason Herschkowitz, the assistant professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University at Albany Cancer Research Center. Herschkowitz grew up in Brooklyn, New York. As a child, he was unsure of what path his education would take him on. He went to school in Staten Island, New York, and then went to SUNY Buffalo where he majored in art and biology. Having later realized arts were not his primary interest, Dr. Herschkowitz pursued his studies in a masters in medical technology. Following, Herschkowitz received his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in genetics and molecular biology. For Herschkowitz, he “enjoyed the process of learning,” as he loved to challenge himself throughout his academic career. At the time Herschkowitz was in school, he developed a unique interest in cancer biology because of the recent sequencing of the human genome.

He enjoys spending time with his three children as well as reading comic books. As Herschkowitz reflected on his past, he “never saw himself as being what he was today.” Dr. Herschkowitz has been working at the University of Albany’s Cancer Research Center since 2013, and he hopes to develop a mechanism that will sensitize tumors to conventional therapies in conjunction to working with long non-coding RNA to develop a further understanding for the mechanisms regulating breast cancer stem cells. Herschkowitz advises to current students that it is important to be determined to success and without doubt, one can accomplish their goals and create a successful future for themselves.