Alumni Spotlight: Jessica Spira Kahn '82

What is your current job title and what are your main responsibilities?
I’m an academic pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist by training and serve as Senior Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research and Director of the Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In those roles, I have the privilege of supporting research that translates basic scientific discoveries into improvements in people’s health. My work includes developing and implementing Montefiore Einstein’s vision for clinical and translational research; building the resources and infrastructure (e.g. in clinical research, informatics, biostatistics, and implementation science) to make research more efficient, impactful, and equitable; recruiting clinical and translational scientists; building programs to train the research workforce; supporting investigators across career stages; developing pilot funding and mentoring programs to accelerate research careers; and aligning institutional research with community priorities. The best part of my job is supporting students, trainees, and faculty to grow into the next generation of researchers and leaders. Before coming to Einstein in 2024, I spent 25 years at Cincinnati Children’s, where I held leadership roles in adolescent and young adult medicine, research administration, academic affairs, and faculty career development.

 

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field?
One of my favorite quotations is from a poem by Mary Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” It reminds me of how important it is for us to pursue what brings us a sense of purpose and to stay curious and open to exploring new paths. Medicine and research offer endless opportunities, and often the most meaningful ones emerge unexpectedly. Find mentors who will guide you with empathy – and sponsors who will promote you shamelessly in rooms you’re not in. Build networks that will support you and relationships that will nurture you. Don’t shy away from challenges that stretch you: know that you are more than capable of succeeding and surround yourself with people who believe in you. Savor what a joy and rare privilege it is to be on this lifelong path to heal and improve people’s lives, and resist becoming overly focused on achieving the next goal, then the next. Most importantly, be intentional about cultivating wellness and resilience. Medicine and research careers are definitely marathons, not sprints. There will always be one more paper, one more grant, one more email in your inbox at 11 p.m., so make sure you make time for whatever renews and rejuvenates you to sustain your energy, joy, and purpose.

 

What skills have you found most useful in your professional life?
Interpersonal skills, especially the ability to respectfully and deeply listen and seek to understand different perspectives. I have never gone wrong when I approached a conversation with compassion, curiosity, and humility – and have often gone wrong when I didn’t. A skill I’ve worked to develop as a leader is creating a collective vision with my teams. Bringing people from different backgrounds together and harnessing their diverse perspectives, talents, and aspirations to create a shared mission and goals has been one of the most enjoyable and transformative aspects of my career. In my field, resilience and perseverance are especially important – learning to keep moving and remain hopeful about the future in the face of setbacks. One of the ways I reignite that hope when it’s needed is to remember Peter Drucker’s advice that the best way to predict the future is to create it.

 

What are some of your proudest professional accomplishments?
It has been an incredible privilege to contribute to research about preventing cancers through HPV vaccination and to participate in global efforts to advance HPV vaccination over the past 20+ years. Recently I’ve had the joy of working with colleagues in the International Pediatric Association to implement a program that will train pediatric clinicians around the world to improve uptake of HPV vaccines with the ultimate goal of contributing to global elimination of cervical cancer. It has also been an honor to collaborate with inspiring colleagues around the world to improve adolescent and young adult health. I’m having a great time right now working with close colleagues in my field to write a collection of articles about the history of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, our professional society. But what has always been most fulfilling to me is mentoring and supporting others. I’m a fan of mission statements, and mine is “to encourage, inspire, and support family, friends, colleagues, and mentees to overcome challenges, find their purpose, and soar.” What brings me the most professional satisfaction is when my mentoring or coaching has helped someone to achieve their aspirations.

 

What does a typical day look like for you?
One of the aspects of academic medicine that I appreciate the most is that no two days are remotely alike, and though I’ve only worked in two institutions since completing my training, I feel that I’ve had multiple careers: as a clinician, researcher, educator, advocate, and leader. My days include meeting with research teams, mentoring trainees and faculty, engaging in strategic planning, developing programs and initiatives, giving and going to talks, and writing grants and manuscripts. No matter what I’m doing, I try to stay grounded in our ultimate goal which is harnessing research to improve the health and well-being of people in the Bronx (where Montefiore Einstein is located) and around the world.

My teachers and peers helped me develop analytical reasoning skills and gave me the confidence to challenge assumptions, both of which have been foundational to how I approach both research and leadership. The learning environment was unique in that experiencing joy from learning and being proud of academic success were not only supported but celebrated, which no doubt influenced my decision to remain in academics my entire career. Among many stellar teachers, two stand out. To this day, my English teacher R.J. Stegner’s voice still materializes in my head whenever I write anything longer than a text message, telling me the writing needs to be more precise and concise (if you are reading this, you know his voice is correct), and my slightly battered 10^th-grade copy of The Elements of Style still sits on my office shelf, silently judging my grammar choices. Dr. Bob Cooper helped me to build both the rigorous academic skills and the confidence that have been invaluable for a career in academic medicine and leadership. Though I didn’t have the honor of meeting Dr. Louis “Doc” Armstrong, one of his quotations has stayed with me for more than 40 years and had a powerful influence on my interest in pursuing a service profession and more generally my approach to life: “Grow with joy whenever possible but with pain when necessary. Live life in the depths rather than in the shallows, and live a life that reflects ultimate rather than temporary concerns … it is only in the depths that human beings find the kind of hope that cannot be destroyed and the truth upon which life and death are built, forgiveness for what has passed and courage for what is to come.”

What clubs, organizations, or sports teams were you a part of, and what special memories do you have of them?
I caught the arts bug at Indian Springs and (thankfully) never really recovered. I had a blast singing in the Glee Club with my dear friends Avonne Brackett Thomson ‘82, Elizabeth Fuller Oliver ‘81, and Karen Acton Shepard ’81, and touring around the South and even to Cincinnati, my future home city. I was a soprano and my sister Laurie Spira-Savett ’85 was an alto, and for decades we have sung Glee Club songs in harmony when we get together! I also participated in theater productions in the iconic Hut: one of my most cherished memories is from play production class senior year which gave me the opportunity to produce, act in, and direct a one-act play, the latter starring my astonishingly talented classmate Sam Heldman ’82. Another priceless memory is performing in student concerts: every time I sing along when “Sister Golden Hair” comes on the radio or Spotify, I’m transported back to the Hut, singing with Donnie Brooks ’82 on guitar, perched on high barstools. I remember all of us being encouraged and supported to participate in the arts regardless of actual talent level – which in my case was a blessing.

 

How do you give back or engage with Indian Springs?
Though I have not lived in Birmingham since high school, Indian Springs still feels like home to me. Despite the distance, I’ve tried to stay involved as a class agent and by returning for major reunions. It’s truly meaningful to stay connected to a community that had such a lasting impact on me.

 

How would you inspire alumni to get involved with Indian Springs School?
I’d encourage my fellow alumni to reflect on the formative role that Indian Springs played in supporting us academically and personally and in shaping who we are today. What is the story that resonates most strongly with us? The exceptional education I was fortunate enough to receive at Indian Springs was transformative for my career. But just as powerful for me is a memory from my junior year when my father died suddenly, and the Indian Springs community – teachers, students, and staff – all came together to surround me and our family with support, making a heartbreaking time more bearable. That experience of the healing power of community has stayed with me ever since. Staying involved – whether through giving, mentoring, returning for alumni events or reunions, or serving as a class agent – is a terrific way to give back and help create those academic opportunities and support that warm community for future students.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
My husband and I have three amazing kids – now young adults – and spending time with family is hands-down my favorite activity. We love to travel together and seem to have developed an unspoken family rule that we never visit the same destination twice, which has led to some amazing adventures (and one questionable itinerary that took us to 13 cities in 14 days). We are serious food people and spend far too much time researching restaurants before a trip. During the COVID-19 pandemic, my sons gravitated toward cooking, and we have loved discovering and creating recipes from different cuisines together – from their perspective, the spicier the better. We are also enthusiastic hikers, especially in the winter when the trails are more peaceful. My husband and I met at Princeton University when we were 19, and for decades had casually talked about retiring there. A few years ago, we somewhat impulsively bought a fixer-upper in Princeton and have just finished renovating it, which was great fun and has given us another place to gather with family and friends.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to continue building programs that advance translational research and improve health, especially in the Bronx community and internationally, while mentoring the next generation of leaders. At the same time, I’m beginning to think about what the next chapter might look like and that will probably include coaching and writing. I’d also love to spend more time – ideally while answering far fewer emails! – reading, traveling, making art and music, and being in nature.