Drew Nager '04
Drew received his Bachelor's of Science degree from Vanderbilt University in 2008, where he double-majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Chemistry. He went on to receive his PhD from MIT in 2012 in Biochemistry and Biophysics.
"Houston Christian ignited in me a thrill for science that has since built my career and empowered me to help others. Like many former HC freshmen, I still remember Jim Kelley’s Intro to Biology class and learning the complexities of a human cell. I also remember struggling to memorize countless metabolic pathways and enzymes! It was moments like this in Kelley’s, Cathy Doxtater’s, and other HC classrooms that I developed the study skills and an excitement for science that would lead me through a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry (Vanderbilt), and a Ph.D. in Biophysics (MIT).
Moreover, throughout my education I’ve seen how science can help others. While in Shonda Majors’s class I would hear how she advanced bone engineering techniques at Rice. Stories such as this inspired myself to led research efforts on antibiotics (at MIT) and pediatric brain tumors (as a research fellow at Stanford). Now, as a Senior Scientist at Pfizer, I design cancer medicines that direct a patient’s own immune system to kill a tumor. To me, there is nothing more special than helping a therapeutic enter the clinic and change a child’s prognosis from certain death to a full life. Thank you HC for setting the foundation of my career."
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"Houston Christian ignited in me a thrill for science that has since built my career and empowered me to help others. Like many former HC freshmen, I still remember Jim Kelley’s Intro to Biology class and learning the complexities of a human cell. I also remember struggling to memorize countless metabolic pathways and enzymes! It was moments like this in Kelley’s, Cathy Doxtater’s, and other HC classrooms that I developed the study skills and an excitement for science that would lead me through a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry (Vanderbilt), and a Ph.D. in Biophysics (MIT).
Moreover, throughout my education I’ve seen how science can help others. While in Shonda Majors’s class I would hear how she advanced bone engineering techniques at Rice. Stories such as this inspired myself to led research efforts on antibiotics (at MIT) and pediatric brain tumors (as a research fellow at Stanford). Now, as a Senior Scientist at Pfizer, I design cancer medicines that direct a patient’s own immune system to kill a tumor. To me, there is nothing more special than helping a therapeutic enter the clinic and change a child’s prognosis from certain death to a full life. Thank you HC for setting the foundation of my career."
