Even though Jeff Bethony is a basic researcher, there is nothing basic about his work.
With a background in neglected tropical diseases and overseeing GW’s Biorepository while studying the confluence of HIV and cancer, his career has gone from the bench to the field to the bedside, and made significant impacts on some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
What’s your story?
My story is a bit complex. Right after completing my undergraduate program, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do next and a friend suggested working as a medical technician in Thailand. I hadn’t traveled outside of the country yet and thought, “Let’s do it!” That was a life changing decision. When I returned to the United States, I got my PhD at Roswell Park and the University of Buffalo. I worked in labs and as a field epidemiologist. I was fascinated with tropical diseases. I really loved the work and that was what brought me to GW.
I began working in neglected tropical diseases (NTD) as an NIH fellow here at GW, under Dr. Peter Hotez. At that time, we produced vaccines in house for NTDs and I learned a lot about vaccines. But, as a basic science researcher, I learned even more about clinical trials. And that’s a very important point, because most basic researchers aren’t exposed to clinical protocols. I wanted to be involved in the clinical trials for the vaccines I made and spent a lot of time with clinicians. It was a great learning experience for me, and allowed me to see first-hand the impact of the work I was doing.
I started working with Dr. David Diemert in the GW Vaccine Research Unit and with Dr. Sylvia Silver in the Biorepository. The NCI started doing clinical trials in Africa for HIV and cancer, and they were looking for someone with experience in resource-limited settings on clinical trials and collecting and banking samples. I was suggested for the role. I took over the Chair of Laboratory Resources of the AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC) and then the AMC Biorepository Program. After Dr. Silver retired, I also became the Director of the AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR).
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
It’s doing work that makes an impact and actually seeing how that work is helping people. I worked in the field in Brazil and sub-Saharan Africa. And that had an impact on me: seeing how poor these people are and working to stop the spread of these diseases that are so devastating.
My work in clinical trials and HIV and cancer is motivating because I’m more involved with the patients than most basic researchers are. Basic researchers spend their time in the lab and you don’t always see how the product you’ve developed or the research you’ve done makes a difference. I get to see it.
People who have HIV and cancers oftentimes don’t respond to therapies the same way patients who aren’t HIV-positive do. And a lot of times, people with HIV aren’t included in clinical trials until Phase 3. We’re including them in therapies as early as Phase one. I feel like I get a chance to make a difference and that’s really important to me.
What is that one book that has influenced you the most?
A book I try read every year is The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen. It’s a true account of a journey he takes through Nepal with a field biologist after the recent death of his wife. They’re there to study these Himalayan sheep, but he’s also looking for a snow leopard that (spoiler alert) he never finds. There’s a philosophical side to the story. He’s learning more about himself, grieving his loss, and meditating. I first read it for a writing class in college and I’ve just never stopped reading it.
What absolutely excites you right now about cancer research?
I’m very excited that we’re now including people with HIV in early phase studies. We’re really beginning to give them frontline treatments that we weren’t able to provide before this. It’s not just about Kaposi sarcoma anymore. These patients are experiencing accelerated epigenetic aging and we’re seeing more non-AIDS-defining cancers, which are cancers that are more common in the general population. I’m working with teams of infectious disease physicians and oncologists and we’re asking many questions about treatment responses in HIV-positive patients. And we’re answering those questions.
What is the most interesting thing we should know about you?
That’s a hard question — at the end of the day, I’m a simple person. I’m an athlete. I’m a dog person. I love my family. I’m very much a family person and that’s what really keeps me going. My wife is from Brazil and the family structure is quite strong there; everyone is close by and there’s a lot of support. We have two sons and a daughter, and six amazing, awesome grandchildren between them.
My parents created a very strong family structure, too, so family has deep roots for me. They’re first-generation immigrants and were separated from their immediate and extended families when they came here. I could see that this was a lacuna in their lives. I appreciate the emphasis they put on family as I was growing up and that I am instilling these values in my own family. This is what makes me happy.
