Anil K. Agarwal, Ph.D.: 30 years
Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
First UTSW job: I was recruited as a researcher.
Best part about my job: It’s the thrill of solving a scientific or medical problem. Specifically, I enjoy finding genes in human disease and taking that information to the next level to search for a treatment or cure.
How co-workers describe me: Friendly and well behaved.
My proudest UTSW accomplishment: Being involved in basic/translational research, discovering genetic variants of several diseases that, in the coming years, will be the foundation of gene therapies. In fact, I am currently working toward that goal.
I’m really good at: Connecting dots related to biological puzzles.
Hobbies: I like to travel to exotic places or listen to music.
Final note: I initially came here on a sabbatical to learn how research is carried out in the Western world. But then events back in India prompted me to immigrate to the U.S. At first, my only goal was to carry out as much research as possible, which I did. I stayed on and solved a few molecular genetic puzzles, such as discovering genes involved in disorders of adipose tissue and juvenile hypertension when it was unknown that a gene caused the latter disorder (circa 1990s). At the time, I did not have the benefit of a sequenced human genome, as many of us these days log on to a database to find out all one wishes with the click of a button. When I started research in the U.S., I didn’t have any specific line of scientific inquiry in mind. The labs I joined were pursuing the mechanisms of rare diseases, which turned out to be rewarding for my career.