![\"image2\"](\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/toxicology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/738\/2018\/06\/alumna-of-the-month-dan-kemp-ph-d-image2.jpeg\")
Biography:<\/p>\n
Dr. Kemp received his Ph.D from the Curriculum in Toxicology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004. While at UNC, Dan studied hepatotoxicity and biliary transport under the guidance of Dr. Kim Brouwer. Prior to his time at UNC, Dr. Kemp completed his B.S. in biochemistry at Michigan State University.<\/p>\n
After completing his Ph.D at UNC, Dr. Kemp worked as a Toxicologist in the private sector for companies such as Myriad Pharmaceuticals, Targacept, GlaxoSmithKline, and the Hamner Institute for Health Sciences. Dr. Kemp is now Director of Process Quality Assurance at Quintiles, the world\u2019s largest CRO. In addition to his position at Quintiles, Dr. Kemp is also a current member of the Curriculum in Toxicology at UNC, where he was recently appointed as the Director of the Professional Science Master\u2019s program in Toxicology.<\/p>\n
In addition, he currently serves as the President of the Drug Discovery Toxicology specialty section, councilor for the Toxicologic and Exploratory Pathology Specialty Section, and is a member of the nominating committee for the Society of Toxicology (SOT). Dr. Kemp has previously served as President for the In vitro and Alternative methods specialty section of SOT, on the program committee for SOT, and education committee for the American College of Toxicology and the Society of Toxicologic Pathology. He is also a Board Member for the MSU College of Natural Science Alumni Association. Dr. Kemp has also been a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT) since 2012.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An Interview with Dr. Dan Kemp<\/b><\/p>\n
By Brett Winters<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What got you into science, and more specifically, toxicology?<\/b><\/p>\n
I was interested in science from a very young age, so I knew that\u2019s what I wanted to study when I got to Michigan State University. While I majored in biochemistry, I took an elective course on toxicology and I just absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed toxicology because it allowed me to study not just one very specific area of science, but rather to integrate multiple fields of science. I was also drawn to the field of toxicology because of how relevant and applicable the science is to human health.<\/p>\n
What was your research experience before starting graduate school? <\/b><\/p>\n
I went straight from my undergrad into grad school, but I did quite a bit of research while at Michigan State University. Most of my research while at Michigan State was related to mass spectrometry, which made for a nice transition into toxicology. I knew I was interested in science and research, which is why I applied to graduate school, and I knew that with my interests, if I found the right program I\u2019d be able to prosper in graduate school.<\/p>\n
How did you decide on UNC for grad school?<\/b><\/p>\n
I ultimately decided on UNC because it was very physiology-based, which is what I wanted to do. It also offered me more avenues to explore government research, academic research, and the pharmaceutical industry. It was great to be situated in the \u201cheart\u201d of the toxicology community, with organizations such as EPA, NIEHS, RTI, the Hamner, and NTP all within a short drive of campus. It also didn\u2019t hurt that I could escape the Michigan winters.<\/p>\n
Another big draw to UNC were the people. The students I met and interviewed with were people that I felt that I could get along with well for 5+ years. Getting a Ph.D is obviously not a short commitment, so it was important for me to enjoy the people and the culture of the area. Another major selling point were the professors I could be interacting with on a daily basis, especially the adjunct professors, would be able to provide insight into career paths other than academia.<\/p>\n
Lastly, everybody at UNC seemed to be a little more relaxed than at other schools. It was clear they were focused on the science, but they definitely enjoyed what they were doing, so I just knew it was a good fit.<\/p>\n
What advice do you have for current graduate students or post-docs that are interested in going into industry?<\/b><\/p>\n
My advice comes from my experience working in Pharma, so this might not be as applicable to other sectors of industry. The advice I would give to anyone in grad school interested in working in industry is to learn how to adapt and be okay with change. I think that\u2019s the biggest lesson many of my friends in pharma and I have learned. Currently the pharmaceutical sector is contracting, and it will likely continue to do so for the near future. The idea of working for the same company for 30 years and then retiring just isn\u2019t realistic in today\u2019s job market. Adaptability is a huge skill in every industry, especially right now. Change can be fun as long as you make it fun. By learning how to become comfortable with change while in grad school and seeing it as an inevitable part of your career rather than the enemy, you\u2019ll be better able to guide your career versus letting the industry guide you. The greatest asset you\u2019ll have in your career, especially when it comes to adapting to change, is your network. I\u2019d definitely recommend strengthening your network while still in grad school-whether that\u2019s with your peers, professors or individuals that can mentor you along the way.<\/p>\n
So how do you best develop your network?<\/b><\/p>\n
Conferences, poster presentations, and involvement. Conferences are great, because you can meet a lot of people you wouldn\u2019t normally cross paths with. Oftentimes I\u2019ll run into people at the conferences that I haven\u2019t caught up with since the same conference the year before- it\u2019s a great chance to chat about what we\u2019ve been up to! Conferences are also a great way to have friends introduce you to others in the field of toxicology. Posters allow you to showcase your knowledge about your specific area and how to connect your research to future work. Involvement with SOT, ACT, STP, etc. can help you meet folks outside of your general research area. It\u2019s not always ideal to only network with people that do only what you do. By branching out from your field of interest, you might meet somebody that specializes in a field that you might want to get into in the future or vice-versa. Lastly, stay in touch with your former classmates, coworkers or professors.<\/p>\n
Tell me about your new role in the CiT Professional Science Master\u2019s degree in Toxicology<\/b><\/p>\n
When I was at GlaxoSmithKline, one of my colleagues was serving on the Board of Directors of the Curriculum in Toxicology Professional Science Master\u2019s (PSM) Program. He ended up relocating out of state for another job, so he was unable to stay involved in the program. When he left, he recommended me to serve on the board in his place, which I ultimately turned into this role.<\/p>\n
I had been active on the external board of directors for a few months when the Director of PSM at the time, Dr. Cordeiro-Stone, announced her plans to retire. When the position of Director of the PSM program opened up, I knew I\u2019d be a great fit for it. I\u2019ve always had an interest in mentoring graduate students and getting involved with the Curriculum in Toxicology. In addition, the program wanted someone with industry experience and a strong network in order to help guide students along in their internships. I discussed the proposition with the organization I was working for at the time and they were very supportive of the idea. However, shortly after accepting the position as Director of the PSM program, I moved to Quintiles. While many companies would have concerns about having obligations in addition to my position at the company, Quintiles agreed that my position as Director of the PSM program in Toxicology was beneficial to both the company and the CiT program.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How did you find your first position out of grad school? <\/b><\/p>\n
Well I knew I wanted to go into industry pretty early on in grad school, so I didn\u2019t have much of an interest in doing a post-doc. I had interacted with the director of preclinical studies of Myriad Pharmaceuticals during poster sessions at SOT and a few other conferences. He had been following my research on drug transporters and he happened to stop by my last SOT poster presentation before I graduated. He mentioned he was looking for someone who could do general toxicology work, but also had a strong background in drug transporters. Ultimately I ended up interviewing at Myriad Pharmaceuticals and found it to be a great fit. This was an example of how networking can really be beneficial to a career.<\/p>\n
I recall you have a strong interest in the microbiome, which is a pretty hot topic these days. Tell me about that.<\/b><\/p>\n
The microbiome is definitely one of my interests, but it\u2019s not a major focus of mine at the moment. I\u2019m interested in it because so much research remains to be done on it-it\u2019s sort of a new frontier. I began studying the microbiome back when I was working at GlaxoSmithKline. I was part of a work group that was tasked with determining the most likely causes of attrition of drugs in clinical trials. The most likely cause of drug attrition was hepatotoxicity, followed by cardiotoxicity-neither which were unexpected. However, GI toxicity was the third most common reason for drug attrition, which was somewhat surprising. When we started looking into how GI toxicity occurs, we started thinking more about how the microbiome affects drug pharmacokinetics.<\/p>\n
Pharmaceutical companies are starting to see the value in understanding the microbiome, because if they are able to understand it better, they might be able to reduce attrition of many drugs that have made it to clinical trials. That being said, currently there aren\u2019t a plethora of jobs specifically focusing on the microbiome. So we\u2019ll see where the field goes in the next few years.<\/p>\n
What skills can current grad students do now to prepare for a career in Industry?<\/b><\/p>\n
I think the Curriculum in Toxicology prepared me well for most aspects of working in the industry. However, there definitely were a few skills that would have been nice to acquire while still in grad<\/p>\n
school rather than learning on the job. These skills include financial and accounting basics, as well as project management. Having a core understanding of how timelines of your work can affect the budget and marketability of a project would have been a nice skill to have learned while still in grad school.<\/p>\n
While Ph.D programs in general are doing a better job of preparing students for non-academic careers, many of these skills are still not addressed. It might be tough to convince hardcore researchers that you\u2019re not following their path to academia, so they might not understand the benefits of taking a finance course. A lot of people that start their own science companies are often Ph.Ds, so development of these skills can be crucial. If you can learn these while you\u2019re still in grad school rather than on the job, you\u2019re already one step ahead. Luckily classes like these are offered to grad students at UNC now. In fact, they\u2019re a vital part of the PSM Toxicology program.<\/p>\n