“The first time I really comprehended death was my grandfather's passing,” Julie Beyrer recalls. She was ten when her paternal grandfather died of gastric cancer. Julie remembers the man who took his grandchildren on outdoor adventures like moped rides, livestock auctions, and quests to find Native American artifacts in the cornfields near his home. She also remembers her father’s deep sorrow. A decade later, during college, her father told her, “I think one day you will help cure cancers like the kind that killed my dad.” Julie didn’t have the heart to tell him she had decided to drop her chemistry major to pursue different studies and travel opportunities. “At the time, I took his comments to heart but didn’t have much hope,” she says. “I thought the only way to help cure cancer was in a laboratory.” She couldn’t have known then that her path would lead her to make her own unique contribution. With a background in scientific communication and public health, Julie’s time at Lilly ...