The Best of the AACR Journals Collection: Author Profiles

Laura Spring

Title & Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA.

Most-cited Article:
Pathologic Complete Response after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Impact on Breast Cancer Recurrence and Survival: A Comprehensive Meta-analysis

Q: What is your primary area of study/research?
A: Breast cancer, particularly the neoadjuvant setting.

Q: What influenced your decision to embark on a research career?
A: It is exciting to participate in research that benefits patients. My training greatly influenced my decision to embark on a research career. Throughout my training, I was surrounded by physicians who combined clinical work and research. While I find the clinical care of breast cancer patients extremely rewarding, I very much enjoy variety and find the combination of clinical care and research provides a nice hybrid. The clinical work also directly informs the research, and many questions in clinic have turned into research projects.

Q; What excites you most about your research area?
A: The neoadjuvant setting in breast cancer offers a great platform for biomarker and drug development. The efficiency of the approach allows advancements in therapy to be translated to patient care quicker, which is great news for patients.

Q: What do you do for fun outside of work? What are your passions and hobbies?
A: I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling (before the pandemic!), and pretty much anything outdoors.

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