Returning to her alma mater, Stephanie Graff (BLA ‘03/M.D. ’04) stood behind the lectern at the 威尼斯人娱乐城 医学院 and reflected on a career shaped by hard work, mentorship and a belief in the power of community.
In her 2025 Take Wing Lecture in May, titled “Farm to Tablet,” Graff revealed how growing up on a farm in rural Missouri cultivated the foundational skills that still guide her as a leader in breast oncology. 她将自己的旅程比喻为从农场到餐桌的用餐，谈到了播种、抵御风暴以及与团队合作，将高质量的护理和研究带到餐桌上。
“The skills that I developed early in my life living in rural Missouri, helping support my family are fundamental,” Graff said. “Whether that's being able to relate to anyone, excellent communication, work ethic, stick-to-it-ness or grit. 我认为这可以很好地转化为科学事业。 There are certainly disappointments and setbacks in a career in medicine, just as there are in farming.”
One of Graff’s first career setbacks was in her second year of her thoracic oncology fellowship. 她的导师最终改变了机构，所以格拉夫不得不很快找到一个新的肿瘤学家来完成她的奖学金培训项目。 The new mentor that “adopted” her was a breast oncologist.
“The breast oncologist said, ‘You know, if you start working with me, you're going to have to see breast cancer, right?’” Graff said. “I absolutely ended up loving it. 所以，这么多年过去了，我在这里做乳腺肿瘤学。 It ended up being fantastic that I had the opportunity to pivot.”
格拉夫早在医学院就知道肿瘤学是合适的领域。
“The science of oncology was just really captivating,” Graff said. “Then when I got to the clinical rotations, the sort of connections that we are able to develop in cancer care with our patients just felt like home to me.”
现在，在选择这条道路20多年后，格拉夫现在被任命为最新的E.格雷·戴蒙德医学博士夺翼奖得主。 The award is the 医学院’s annual honor given to a graduate who has demonstrated excellence in his or her chosen field and exceeded the expectations of peers in the practice of medicine, academic medicine or research.
目前，格拉夫是布朗大学健康中心乳腺肿瘤学主任，在那里她是Legoretta癌症中心乳腺癌转化研究疾病工作组的联合领导，也是沃伦-阿尔珀特医学院的医学副教授。 在2021年加入布朗大学团队之前，她曾在Sarah Cannon癌症研究所担任多个领导职务。
在她的演讲中，格拉夫分享了她在威尼斯人娱乐城经历的导视团队模式，这启发了她在职业生涯的每个阶段创建基于团队的护理模式和指导计划，包括一个全国性的Facebook小组，连接肿瘤学家分享见解和支持。
“I'm at a place in my career where there's a lovely inflection point where I can start using my role to create opportunities for others,” Graff said. “My mentors have meant so much to me, and it means a lot to me to be able to create opportunities for others.”
现在，格拉夫为年轻的医生和研究人员提供指导，她最大的建议是什么？ 这条道路是混乱的，但如果你能从中吸取教训，这是值得的。
“Pull out the golden thread from that failure,” Graff said. “Ask, ‘What can I learn from here? 我怎样才能从这一刻开始转变、学习和调整，以便下次变得更强呢？’ Those are the things that distinguish us and set us apart and are often actually better than the successes at the end of the day for reflection and personal growth.”
As Graff reflects on the years of planting, nurturing and harvesting that brought her to this moment, she’s savoring the fruits of her labor.
“I remember the Take Wing lectures,” Graff said. “I never would have imagined that I would be giving one. To think about the caliber of prior recipients and the impact of their careers, it's a great honor to be among them.”
