In Memoriam: Honoring LGBTQ Cancer Health Equity Scientist, Dr. Deborah Bowen
Image from UW Medicine
On August 20, 2022, the world lost an excellent scientist and human, Dr. Deborah Bowen. Deb was a Professor of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington, but we first crossed paths at Boston University School of Public Health when she was the Department Chair. However, we didn’t actively collaborate until I was a PhD trainee at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. At that time, I was lucky to be reacquainted with Deb by my PhD mentor, Dr. Jennifer Jabson Tree (also a mentee of Deb). That relationship opened the gates to co-publications and presentations, grant writing and reviewing, and supportive recommendations. Deb put me through my scientific writing paces and helped me appreciated bold, succinct writing styles.
“We write all the time as academics. For me, writing is a tough process. I’m not a great writer. I have to work at it. I have to go over every paragraph a couple of times. It takes a lot of time and effort for me to write something very well. And I get my writing inspiration and examples from multiple sources. Not just scientific papers. I read the Seattle Times and use a couple of the columnists’ writing styles as models. I try to glean writing quality from everything I read, including people that I don’t agree with. So I think that writing is something that, by the time I retire, if I’m a good writer, I’ll have worked through my career to improve and refine my writing skills. I think it’s one of the most important things we do. It’s the way we talk about our science across the world. It’s something that people need to pay attention to and be willing to roll up their sleeves and work at.” Deb Bowen on writing (06.13.16)
Deb was brilliant, blunt, generous with her time and expertise, and deeply committed to mentoring. As a senior LGBTQ researcher and leader in lesbian health, she helped me believe that having a fulfilling, funded career in LGBTQ cancer health equity was not just possible, but critical. She taught me that being an out, queer, lesbian scientist doing LGBTQ-related research was a strength.
Most importantly, Deb was a model for being an excellent mentor – a legacy she has given our public health fields through decades of investing in people. She taught me that saying “yes” to mentoring is a gift and a responsibility, that nurturing the next generation of queer and health equity scientists is an essential role we take on with a PhD mantle.
“One of the pieces of wisdom that I’ve heard from others is that mentoring has to be a two-way street, that both the mentee and the mentor have to receive benefits from the mentoring relationship, and I think that’s true. I think, though, that there comes a time in every mentoring relationship, maybe several times, where the mentor has to decide to put the priorities of the mentee first. In other words, they have to give up what they would choose to do and do something that’s just simply good for the mentee. And for some of us, that’s hard. We’re trained and pressured to go after whatever we can get and to gather as much of the goods as we can to ourselves. And that doesn’t always work in a mentoring relationship, because you’re there as much for the mentee as you are for yourself. So, I think that looking at that and being honest, with ourselves and with each other, is something that has to happen in a good mentoring relationship. Because being ready to take second priority to a mentee once in a while is probably a necessary step in the process.” Deb Bowen on mentoring part I (06.13.16)
“One of the most important jobs of a mentor, I think, is to stick with the process no matter what happens. I’ve heard this feedback from many of my mentees. They appreciate the idea that I will be with them even through failure. For example, what happens if they get an unscored grant the second time in a row. They know that I’ll be there to review the pink sheets, look with them through what can be salvaged, and help them plan a future course. So, letting your mentee know that you’re going to stick with them, and stick with them through the process, is a really critical part of being a mentor.” Deb Bowen on mentoring part II (06.13.16)
My hope for you all is that you get to know a Deb in your academic lifetime. My hope for me is that I am able to honor the gifts Deb gave freely by demonstrating excellence in science, advocacy, and mentorship.
You are missed already, Deb.
Quotations compiled by Dr. Shelby Langer, Associate Professor in the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
Find a tribute from Dr. Bowen’s department here: https://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/remembering-dr-deb-bowen