episode 4: wiebke galal

aUGUST 30, 2023

Interview by pRIYANKA gERA

Edited by Priyanka Gera and Michael Fortunato

Photo by Ivan Dominguez

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the East German Republic with my parents, two brothers and a sister. Think apartment building blocks with tons of kids outside where you just look outside to see who’s around and go join them. My memories are filled with building cabins in the bushes along the city streets with friends and long summer vacations at the Baltic Sea with board games in a tent with my parents and siblings. I kind of had that childhood and have the parents you wish for everyone.

What did you do before medical school? I know you are already Dr. Galal because you have a Ph.D.

Yes, but that’s not directly what I did before medical school though. Before medical school I did my undergrad at Columbia. Before that I worked as an administrative director at a mental health clinic. I essentially ran the place, hired people, handled insurance, etc. The hiring was my favorite part; the firing, not so much. Before that, I was a stay-at-home mom and always volunteered somewhere. Before that, I did my Ph.D.

It seems like you have a lot of experience with the other side of medicine––the business part. Would you want to open your own practice one day? 

No. I totally wouldn’t. I don't like the corporate aspect of medicine. I think medicine should be free for all. It breaks my heart that some people cannot have access to medicine and the help they need. 

Who is your role model?

I have several. One is my PhD mentor (Jerard Hurwitz). I joined his lab; he had just turned 80. He opened his lab in 1955 and the lab was closed in 2018. He was at Einstein, NYU and Sloan Kettering. What I loved about him was that his work ethic was out of this world. He would take Sunday off, so I would work Sunday to Friday so we could have one day off each other––because we worked on opposite benches. He was a member of so many academies and won so many awards. The only one he didn’t get was the Nobel Prize. When he would give me criticism, it was really harsh and sharp, but he always had a point and knew what he was talking about. He would freely admit what he didn’t know. He also had two daughters, and no matter how busy he was, if they would call, he would drop everything and answer the phone. I love that he was so dedicated at work, but nothing topped his daughters.

It sounds like he had his priorities straight. 

Yeah. And he was so witty. The other person was my grandma; she passed away in 2008. She’s the opposite of my mentor [in terms of education]. My grandmother got the highest education she could have gotten as a woman in the 30s-40s in Germany. It was restricted until eighth grade so that’s what she did and then she went to trade school. She then married and had kids. She was the wife of a pastor. I never really got to meet my grandfather because he was in the war, like any guy back in the day and he died relatively early. They both must have been very likeminded. My grandfather was drafted early to war because he stood up against the University where he was a theology student because they were expelling the Jewish students. For that reason he was drafted early just so they could get rid of him. That’s what my grandmother carried forward when she took in the children that were part of the waves of humans flying to Germany from the East because there was a war back there. She was like a foster mom. Some kids she kept in touch with, others she didn’t. My grandparents didn’t have very much––no food or money, but they still shared everything they got. They had a goat and a dog and they had a garden. My grandmother was a community person; she was very political. At her funeral in 2008 at the Old Stone Church where my grandfather was a pastor for so long, she was buried next to her husband there. The service was filled though––obviously I was there because I was family, but there were people standing out through the door. That’s how many people came to her funeral.

She touched so many people’s lives. She must have been very loved. 

It was amazing. She was just always there. She was inspiring––always had an open door. She would say one thing though, that “I’m happy I was born at the time I was born. I had no choice. My choice was to do eighth grade, go to trade school, get married and have children. There was no other way to do my life. If I was born now, I would have so many choices and I wouldn’t know what to do.”

I never thought about it like that. 

Yeah. Those were her words. 

Why NYMC Wiebke?

Because essentially it's been in my backyard. I had been volunteering at Westchester Medical Center for a couple of years since 2017, until I was eventually accepted and I had to finish my Bachelor’s degree. So I did a double semester and had to drop the volunteering. I knew the place very well. Whenever I saw medical students in the hospital, I would always ask them how they were doing and how their experience has been. I uniformly heard that New York Medical College is very collaborative. Students help each other and the faculty is responsive. It is a pleasant environment to be in, which is what I’ve always wanted. When I did my Ph.D. at Sloan Kettering, I really enjoyed going to work every single day. I had great co-workers, fantastic mentors, and a project I was thrilled about. And same at Columbia. I took real strange courses and learned from top-notch people in their fields and enjoyed it. So I just wanted to always continue with going to school/work and enjoying it. 

Would you say since you’ve taken such an eclectic mix of classes, you’d be good at trivia?

No. My memory is like swiss cheese. Especially when it comes to names. 

What’s one talent you wish you had?

One talent?

Well if you want multiple, go for it.

If I had one talent, I’d probably make a living out of it. Oh, there’s so many fun ones that come to mind, but a useful one would be listening to something and remembering it. Like if somebody would tell me things in a lecture and then I could remember it and connect it with other things––that would be very useful.

This next question is about you Wiebke. What did you want to be when you were a kid?

I actually wanted to be a medical doctor. 

Look at you now! Almost there!

[Laughs] Yeah. It was a long time coming. 

What's your favorite season?

That is the summer. Well, technically late spring. I really like spring because you have all these colors––it’s like life is coming back. But I really enjoy the heat and humidity. And in spring you can still enjoy all that. 

What specialty are you leaning toward right now?

Pediatric oncology. The only thing that tempts me away from it is the NICU and neonatology. I really love babies, definitely kiddos, but really pediatric oncology. It also combines well with my biochemistry background. 

How would you define success?

I feel successful when I truly struggle, work hard at it and then manage to get it done. The outcome doesn’t need to be perfect, but just good enough to keep going.

What is the best gift you have ever received?

Not too long ago actually, I found myself facing some challenges where I did not know how to proceed, even my family had no clue. And so I sat at a table when someone I barely know passed by and asked me how I was doing. I answered with “not too great, to be honest,” and then the most meaningful gift came my way. That person stopped walking, sat down next to me, took a second to look at me and asked me how she could help me. I talked about my thoughts and options and we brainstormed a little. It was technically a conversation I had before, but it met me in a moment where I felt very alone. The sincerity of the moment gave me that push I needed to gain back traction and move forward. I now have a memory to look back to remember that I’m not alone at all, even if my family and friends aren’t close by. And that’s the best gift.

Any words of advice to M1s?

The best advice I ever got was from my brother. He is now a professor in Denmark. He said that an MD is the time for you to have the most fun. You are most likely in your 20s. You're most likely healthy. You most likely have your whole life ahead of you. If you don’t enjoy the time you have now, go do something different.

That is the opposite from all the advice I’ve heard. 

My brother is a character. He’s fantastic. But it plays into the point that you better enjoy going to work/studying because this is your life. If you don’t enjoy this, then figure it out early and do something different. 

Contact Wiebke at Wgalal@student.NYMC.edu

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