The WHO Science Council leader shares his career and life.
Highlights:
- Dr. Varmus and Dr. John Michael Bishop were awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes, transforming cancer research.
- Varmus opposed military service during the Vietnam War and pursued a research role at the National Institutes of Health, where his fascination with molecular biology began.
- He has held key leadership roles, including Director of the NIH, President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, co-chair of the President’s Science and Technology Council, director of the National Cancer Institute, co-founder of PLoS, and chair of the WHO Science Council, where he still impacts global health.
- Varmus focuses on enjoying life and doing good work rather than worrying about legacy, emphasizing personal satisfaction over being remembered.
When I logged in on a Thursday afternoon, one of the most influential figures in science was on the other side of the screen: Dr. Harold Elliot Varmus. In 1989, he and Dr. John Michael Bishop were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes.
Nervousness was inevitable. I wanted to make the most of every second of our conversation to learn about his story, from the beginnings of his career to his connections with Mexico and his current leadership role in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Science Council.
I think it’s good to have diversity and not be completely devoted solely to scientific work or medical work.
Harold E. Varmus
He was born in the 1930s in Oceanside, New York, and was an avid reader from a young age. “I think it’s good to have diversity and not be completely devoted solely to scientific work or medical work. [That’s what] makes life rich and provides a diversity of viewpoints about what’s happening in life.” He shares that Gertrude Stein, a prominent modernist author, left medicine and moved to Paris in 1903, where she surrounded herself with intellectuals like Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Her phrase, “A medical education opens all doors,” left a mark on Varmus. “Indeed, that’s proven to be the case in my own life.”
The dedication of his parents, Beatrice and Frank, to helping others—whether it was his father’s concern for his patients or his mother’s work as a social worker—instilled in him an attitude of service. “They also died when they were quite young, and I was quite young,” missing much of Harold’s story.
I didn’t have the temperament to sit in a room with a psychotic patient, even a neurotic patient, all day.
Harold E. Varmus
He studied medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where his initial interest in psychiatry shifted toward internal medicine. “I didn’t have the temperament to sit in a room with a psychotic patient, even a neurotic patient, all day.” He later gained practical experience at a mission hospital in India.
I felt we had no place in Vietnam.
Harold E. Varmus
During the Vietnam War, Dr. Varmus opposed military service and found a position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), working as a clinical associate in Ira Pastan’s laboratory, who was also an avid reader and believed that someone with Harold’s background could be beneficial in his lab. His fascination with research began there. “If you were a new medical school graduate in the 1960s and male, you were obliged to do some government service. And I was very hostile to the idea of serving the military anyway because I felt we had no place in Vietnam.” This was a common practice for graduates at the time.
In 1970, he began his postdoctoral studies with Dr. Michael Bishop at the University of California, San Francisco. Their research focused on how retroviruses replicate and cause cancer. “We didn’t realize how transformative it would be. I think that discovery by itself was far from being the whole story, but it did start things off. You’ve got to remember that the work we did was done in the mid-1970s, long before the Human Genome Project was undertaken. And one can argue that what we did was accelerate the use of new methods and molecular biology to discover these genes 30 years before other roots would have discovered them,” he explains. When a mutation is detected in a cancer-related gene and blocked with medication, the cancer can go into remission. “That’s what really made the whole story seem so wonderful. That was work that we didn’t do, but we do take pride in the contribution that we made to the fundamental intellectual perception of how cancer arises.”
That’s the way science should work. People build on each other.
Harold E. Varmus
Varmus didn’t limit himself to the lab. He also served as the director of the NIH, led the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, co-chaired the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology under President Barack Obama, and led the National Cancer Institute, among other vital roles. One of his most influential contributions was the creation of PubMed Central, the first open-access digital library in biomedical sciences. He advocated for these models and co-founded the Public Library of Science (PLoS) to promote open scientific publishing. “That’s the way science should work. People build on each other,” he emphasizes, reflecting on how science is a cumulative effort.
Mexico has smart doctors and scientists and places, like the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Harold E. Varmus
Despite advancements in cancer research, Dr. Varmus remains aware of disparities between countries. He notes that “Mexico has smart doctors and scientists and places, like the National Autonomous University of Mexico,” serving as an example of a country capable of addressing challenges, especially in the fight against cancer.
Today, at 84 years old, Varmus chairs the WHO’s Science Council. His focus is on identifying emerging issues in science and technology, including threats and advances with global health impact, evaluating priority scientific matters for public health, and offering guidance to translate them into actions aligned with the WHO’s mission.
People get forgotten.
Harold E. Varmus
If something stands out in Varmus’s life philosophy, it’s his disinterest in legacy. “People get forgotten.” Often, there’s talk about being remembered, but a few people will remember us for 20 or 40 years after we’re gone. For him, the real goal should be enjoying life, feeling like you’re doing good work, and being satisfied with yourself. “Worrying about your legacy is hopeless,” he concludes.
