Dr. Alex Tan
Director, Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program & Post-Baccalaureate Health Science Intensive Program at The Johns Hopkins University
“The most important thing to remember when trying something new is that, if you’re worried about failing, you won’t get anywhere. Failing is a part of life and learning how to continue is what is important.”
Read Dr. Alex’s full profile below
What do you do every day?
My job consists of working in admissions for applicants to get into our post-baccalaureate programs. My days include advising our current students on their classes, things that their loving, things that they are struggling with, and helping them achieve their short-term academic goals. I also do a lot of advising that is more related to their midterm goal of getting accepted to medical school, so this involves thinking about strategy for medical school and what they’re passionate about. I am working with students on documents that are required for the medical school application and getting letters of recommendation. I also do a lot of things on the back end of the application process, such as writing committee letters for students. I also teach a year-long advising course, so I do curriculum design and assessment in teaching.
Why do you love it?
I love that it is about helping students achieve their goals and making sure that they are becoming what they are trying so hard to become. I love the challenge of creating the most efficient path possible for students to get to that sought-after endpoint.
What were your moments of fear and challenges in your career?
It can be stressful that these students put a lot of faith in the advising that we provide, and they trust us to give them the best possible advice to achieve their goals. I always harbor fears of, am I giving them the best advice, is this going to get them where they want to go, and am I really helping them in the best possible way. In the larger picture, doing right by the students can quickly become an overwhelming amount of work. So, balancing how to help lots of students but in a sustainable way is incredibly important to keep from burning myself out.
What are some of the latest innovations in science that you are most excited about?
Science is endlessly fascinating. I have always really liked science for its commitment to making the unknown become clear. There is this glorious aha moment where we all understand the world a little better. The research that I did in my science Ph.D. was about better understanding how membrane proteins associate and how they fold— basically, finding patterns in the chaos, which is still a theme in my work today. One particular innovation I am excited about is advances in genetics, such as being able to look through genetics to find markers for predisposition to certain diseases. There is so much potential benefit in better understanding how our genetic roots influence disease development.
Where did you grow up?
Roswell, New Mexico. The land of the aliens.
Who was your favorite teacher and why?
My first-grade teacher who imaginatively approached education, which made it fun to start learning math, words, spelling, and all of that stuff. I remember her being a lot of fun, which is why I remember her so well, but I have had a lot of good teachers, which is probably why I am an educator.
What is your unique talent?
I sew, dabble in stained-glass, and have recently been making tile mosaics with my mom. I try to do creative things outside of science to give my brain a break. The most important thing to remember when trying something new is that, if you’re worried about failing, you won’t get anywhere. Failing is a part of life and learning how to continue is what is important. Trying to teach myself new things has always been an easy way to learn to fail well.
Is there a current book or book you love?
One of my very favorite books is Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin.
Who inspires you?
People who do scary things that require you to be really brave inspire me. I don’t mean scary like jumping off of a bridge; I mean leap of faith scary. Scientists definitely fall into this arena. You have no way of knowing if the questions you are pursuing are going to turn out to be anything worthwhile (or even feasible) because no one knows the answers to the questions you are exploring. Pursuing them without knowing how it might turn out requires an immense amount of bravery.
What’s next for you?
I want to focus more on innovation, particularly the way that we train pre-health students more holistically and make it more accessible. We should be thinking more creatively about how to address disparity issues found within STEM fields as well as how to provide students with a more well-rounded skill set, such as leadership and writing or professionalism and teamwork. We hope that students get these more organically as college students, even though we take a very intentional approach to the STEM content.
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