• Home
  • News
  • Challenging boundaries in life and work
Back to all 2021
08 Mar 2021

Challenging boundaries in life and work

  • Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
  • VCCC Alliance

Dr Charis Teh is a Victorian Cancer Agency mid-career postdoctoral fellow at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in the field of molecular genetics. She was a 2019 Superstar of STEM. Charis is Mum to two children aged three and three months.

I think that gender parity and opportunities for women are progressing steadily. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is a good illustration of this. It was awarded to two incredible women who discovered the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. It is an amazing story and opens up an exciting future for us all.  

My passion is to create a healthier future by studying how the immune system fights cancer. Growing up on a small island called Borneo in Malaysia, illness, and its impact on life shaped many distinct memories from a young age. I was certain that I deeply cared about creating a healthier future but did not know how I could make an impact in this area. No one in my family had the opportunity to pursue a university degree. I was the first. In my first year of university, I worked with Dr Carolyn Behm who I felt connected to because of common Malaysian ties. This experience opened up a whole new world of science research I never knew existed. I worked on a small project making parts of worms glow green so I could look at their inner workings. I was fascinated. Today, I am still in the laboratory. Instead of looking at worms, I study the immune system and cancer.

Collaboration is vital to improvements worldwide

I collaborate with a cross-disciplinary team that shares a common goal to try to match blood cancers to the best treatments. The team comprises clinicians and researchers from different VCCC alliance member institutes/hospitals with a range of expertise in cancer models, molecular genetics, bioinformatics and immunology.

From one small tube of blood, we are able to look for clues that tell us why cancer cells keep growing and do not die. By sharing information and resources, we can gain comprehensive insights, swiftly test out findings in cancer models and apply the changes to the clinical practice. This is only one example of the many collaborations that happen within VCCC. This multi-centre and cross-discipline model of the VCCC alliance is allowing us to pool resources and expertise to make more impactful changes that improve outcomes for not just Victorian cancer patients, but cancer patients worldwide.

Finding the balance between research and family

As a female mid-career postdoctoral fellow and a mother to a three-year-old and a three-month-old, raising a family while pursuing my research passion has been challenging.

WEHI has been tremendously supportive in creating infrastructure such as an onsite Early Education Centre. I have also received financial support packages for additional technical support to ensure that my work progresses during my parental leaves, and assistance for childcare costs to ease the financial burden. This has supported the early stages of my career and helped me achieve a healthy work-life balance.

I appreciate the family-friendly culture in WEHI. When I returned from my first parental leave, I encountered many inspirational role models - both women and men - who encouraged me, offered empathy, and armed me with practical advice. I was able to have an open dialogue and create practical solutions for the challenges I was facing.

Reflections for younger women

Looking back on the early days of my career, I would probably challenge myself to be more confident. I would urge young women to have the courage to pursue their passion and work with inspiring people. I hope into the future the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math will not be gender-biased. I love seeing my three-year-old daughter explore everything that excites her - in her world, there is no status quo or gender rules. I hope she never loses that curiosity and is empowered to keep doing that. I cannot wait to see how her generation will change the world.

Get the latest in cancer news, events and more, direct to your inbox
Join a network of Victorian cancer researchers, clinicians and consumers to keep your finger on the pulse.