Taylor Ismaili, BS/MS '14
Associate Professor, Stewart Clark, PhD, was Taylor's mentor from 2012-2014. He reached out to her to reflect on her time in the department and its impact on her career thus far.
Meet Taylor Ismaili, Alumna
What was the best part of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, for you?
The PMY program's research, thesis-based structure gave it a clear advantage over more conceptual programs. Nothing tops the hands-on lab experience for putting science into perspective.
What would you tell your younger PMY self?
Try to meet with other scientific researchers outside of academia! There is a lot of life experience to be shared, and there are so many directions your degree can take you. It's important to know what's out there.
What's one thing you learned in PMY that you've made the most of?
Foundations of pharmacology were the most valuable principles, but being able to apply them in real time with cellular assays really sealed the knowledge in. Connecting the dots from principle to practice makes all the difference.
What's your biggest professional achievement since graduating from UB?
I would say my biggest professional achievement has been in my current role at Actio Biosciences. It's hard to choose just one, but I'm especially proud to have been one of the earliest employees (#7!), helping develop the framework for our mission to serve rare disease patients and shape what became our "playbook.”
Over the years, I've grown a Pharmacology team to advance this work across multiple rare diseases. Supporting other scientists and helping their careers grow has been incredibly rewarding as well.
What's the most memorable compliment you've ever received for your work, and why?
I work at a startup biotech in the rare disease drug discovery space, and part of the beauty of being in this role is exposure directly to patients. We have had a few opportunities to invite patients with rare genetic disease to come tour our labs, and the families are so complimentary and grateful that there is someone out there thinking about their children.
Rare diseases don't get the attention they deserve, and hearing from those families that you're making an impact on their lives is unmatched and unforgettable.
When you need support in making career decisions, who do you turn to or what do you do?
I have been so fortunate to have such strong scientific and strategic mentors throughout my career that I have been able to lean on whenever I feel stuck. This has been invaluable to me, and I attribute so much of what I am today to them.
I strongly encourage grads fresh into their career to seek out a mentor. It may take some time to find who you resonate with, but it is worth it. Taking the time to observe how other scientists or leaders in your field carry themselves can help you form a model of who you might aspire to become.