CV: Dr. Richard Wells

Bio basics: Forty-three years old, married with three children. Born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and a fiercely proud Newfoundlander. Received his MD at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1985 and his DPhil at Oxford in 1990. Did postgraduate training in internal medicine and haematology in Toronto, and postdoctoral fellowships at Yale, the University of Toronto and Harvard.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Right winger on the 1976 Habs.

What does the world need to know about myelodysplastic syndrome and
acute leukaemia?

The "weed-your-garden-with-a-flamethrower" approach to treating these diseases is crude. We can do a lot better.

What is your proudest achievement?

In my first postdoc (at Yale) I proved that human chromosome 2 arose from an ancient telomeric fusion of two ape chromosomes by cloning the point at which they fused. The paper was called, "The origin of human chromosome 2," which I think is a pretty cool title.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

Writing grants! It's my guilty secret. I even love the photocopying.

In a perfect world, what?

Nobody would suffer or die for want of clean water or because of what they or anyone else believed about God.

What, in your research recently, has surprised you?

I take a Popperian approach to scientific discovery: create a hypothesis and then go out and find data to destroy it. I have found that most of my hypotheses are pretty easy to demolish, but we've got one at the moment, a pretty audacious one about the nature of MDS stem cells, that has survived all assaults.

What aspect of your new post, as director of research for the Odette cancer program, excites you the most?

All too often basic scientists and clinical researchers exist in complete isolation from one another. Here at Sunnybrook, largely through the efforts of Michael Julius, we have an intellectual culture in which these groups can readily interact. This makes Sunnybrook pretty special, and I am very excited about having a chance to nurture this aspect of the Institute.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave on the cancer program?

In five years, I want Sunnybrook to be known everywhere as "the place where the discovery meets the patient."

What's the best-kept secret at SRI?

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you....