Eastern Nazarene College: Prospective Students: Undergraduate: Academics

When Faith Guides Science
by Tara Brooke Watkins
from The Christian Scholar, December 2002

“Some people are called to be teachers, preachers, and other things, but God called me to be a biologist. I have to keep things on scientific terms and allow my Christianity to guide me.”

Dr. Ross Tubo (81) is a scientist in the controversial field of stem cell research. He is unique in his field in that his commitment to researching adult stem cells rather than embryonic stem cells “stems” from his own strong Christian values. Embryonic stem cells are retrieved from aborted fetuses and abandoned in vitro eggs, while adult stem cells are derived from one’s own body. Tubo recently sat down to speak with Christian Scholar writer Tara Brooke Watkins about his faith and work.

Christian Scholar:Can you give a little of your background in the scientific field?

Ross Tubo: I got a bachelor’s in science in biology from ENC, then moved on to grad school at SUNY Buffalo, and completed my PhD in 4 years. I went on to post-doc research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, part of Harvard Medical School. I spent two years with Dr. Jim Reinwald learning how to grow various human cell types, particularly focused on human epithelial cells. From Jim’s lab, I went on to industry.

I was with a small biotech company called International Biotechnology Laboratories, which is actually now out of business. One of the things that I quickly learned after being there was that I had made a huge mistake. I didn’t know the right questions to ask, like, “Do you have the money to do what you want? Do you own your patents?” Pretty serious issues. About six months later, I found out that they did not own the patents, so I found myself looking for a job.

My post-doctoral advisor, Jim, told me about a job at Biosurface Technology in Cambridge in 1989. I started with that company as a research scientist and shortly went to senior scientist to research manager to research director. It seemed like every couple of years there was a promotion. In 1994, that company was purchased by Genzyme and created a division out of Biosurface Technology that involved tissue engineering. We grew skin for burn patients and cartilage for knee repair. I’ve been with the tissue engineering type of technology for 13 years now.

CS:What is your position now at Genzyme?

RT: I’m the senior director of stem cell biology and I’ve been working on growing adult bone marrow-derived stem cells. With the stem cells, I have the opportunity to take cells from a patient and grow those up into cartilage, muscles, neurons, potentially, and treat a variety of diseases.

After the cartilage program (Carticel) I ran was FDA approved, it became the first manipulated autologous [derived from the same individual] cell for cell therapy that was ever approved. Then we were looking at an opportunity to do some things in gene therapy, putting some different genes into cells and correcting defects. It looked like that was going to take off. However, we were doing a partnership with another company and that fell through. I had already left the cartilage program, though, so I was a scientist without a project.

I started looking into stem cells and convinced the senior management at Genzyme that if we were a cell therapy company, we needed to be in stem cell [research]. If stem cells worked, you had the opportunity to have a donor cell strain that would treat heart cartilage, muscle, and brain defects, and we already had programs that did all these things. In the past two and a half years, the research has gone very well.

CS: Describe a typical day for you.

RT: Well, I drop my son, Ben, off at high school and head to work. My job has become more administrative in later years. I’m more involved in the management of research. I have a group of five people, and they have just been fantastic. I do research on new ideas and manage applications, from which we can get experiments going. When I started stem cell research, I was in the lab, but now that the program has grown, I’ve been doing mainly management.

CS:What is the major controversy surrounding your work?

RT: The major controversy is whether it is necessary to use embryonic stem cells [from aborted fetuses or rejected in vitro eggs] or if you can use adult stem cells.

CS: How does it feel to be a Christian in your field?

RT: As a biologist, you have evolution as an issue and people saying that God is not really in control of any of that. But looking at the intricacies of all of the different proteins and genes and everything that to act in complete concert with one another, there is no doubt in my mind that God created and has orchestrated all of that.

Being a Christian working in the stem cell area is hard because people automatically make the assumption that I’m working on embryonic stem cells. When people would ask my wife what I did and she told them “stem cell research,” she would get this look of “WHAT!?” People would automatically think embryonic stem cells. So we had to make the point of saying “adult stem cell research.”

And as a Christian, I’m happy that the science bears out the work on adult stem cells. I have to maintain objectivity as a scientist. I don’t say to people, “I’m a Christian and therefore I don’t work on stem cells,” because if I said that, my opinion would be written off. I have to keep things on scientific terms and allow my Christianity to guide me.

CS: Have you ever been approached to work on embryonic stem cells?

RT: Yes, but I have not taken up the offer. My Christianity, though, has fueled my research on adult stem cells.

CS: Why did you choose this field?

RT: When I was 16, I was singing with a choir and we went to a cancer ward. I thought we would be singing to old people with cancer. It turned out to be a children’s ward and it was devastating to see. When I got home, I told my mom I wanted to do something in my life to help people in this situation.

I was always interested in science, but biology just became my “thing.” And I really felt like God had called me to be a biologist. Some people are called to be teachers, preachers, and other things, but God called me to be a biologist. At times, I could not see where God was sending me. I working on things that had nothing to do with cancer, but they all laid the foundation for the work I’m doing now, and really, what we’re actually looking at is the application of stem cells in cancer research. And while I couldn’t see where God was leading me at times, I look back now and think, “Wow!”

I think there’s still something out there God will have me do. It’s possible that stem cell research could take a hard turn into cancer research and I would be able to work on that. But, I’ve always just tried to look to the Lord for His direction. Over the years, you’re satisfied and then you’re not satisfied in your career, and you start to look around a bit. Well, I was never really able to find anything elsewhere. At times, that was really frustrating.

When the cell and gene therapy project fell through and I was a man without a project, I asked, “Now what do I do?” I looked around and tried to find things and nothing happened. Then the stem cell project came through and I thought, “Okay, now I can see it.” I’m very happy now that I didn’t find anything else.

CS: How do you hope your work will influence Christian scientists?

RT: I hope they’ll know that God will always prevail in even the ethically difficult situations. The company a few years back wanted me to work on some aborted tissue and I had to say no. Doing that, I knew I might have to resign from my work. But at that same time, I gave a presentation on adult stem cells, knowing the whole time I was probably going to have to resign the next day. Well, they were so impressed with the work I was doing on adult stem cells that they saw no reason to do work with embryonic stem cells. So, God prevailed in that situation to where I could continue my work and not have to compromise my Christian values.

CS:What did you learn through that time in your life?

RT: I was really scared. It could have been God’s will for me to take a stand and resign, which still would have been working it out, in another way. But I learned that in any situation, you have to look to God for direction. Some of my co-workers knew at that time that I was having a real problem with what I had been asked to do, and in one way it was a Christian reflection they saw. On the other hand, they had a real discomfort with working on embryonic stem cells as well. There is just something inherently uncomfortable with that kind of research. So, if non-Christians are feeling that too, it makes a huge statement.

CS: Are there any people at ENC who had a particular influence on your life?

RT: Dan Shea, Glenn Keys, and Phil McLaren. I just appreciated so much the individual attention from them as mentors. I felt the desire to please them. Dan was extremely helpful in directing me towards graduate school. I really had no idea what grad school was all about and in my junior year, he asked me if I’d thought about it and said that molecular cell biology would be the program for me. I applied and got into SUNY Buffalo, and just stumbled into one of the top three molecular cell biology programs in the country.

The preparation here at ENC was absolutely fantastic. I’d be sitting in class in grad school and people would be struggling with the class work and I’d be thinking, “Well, we already covered this at ENC.” It was amazing to see the difference between those who attended a large state school and me. The preparation here was just top-notch.

CS: What is your hope for your future in this field?

RT: I hope to be involved in a cure for cancer. That’s still a dream. I see little threads of it coming through, exciting mechanisms for how the stem cells can connect into it, but that is still my ultimate dream.

The Science Stuff

CS: Can you describe in more detail the debate between using embryonic stem cells as opposed to adult stem cells?

RT: In the popular press, there are lots of arguments being made that you have to use embryonic stem cells because by definition they are embryonic and can differentiate into anything. They have much more potential and they would be more long-lived. As it turns out, the adult stem cells, which are bone marrow-derived, fat-derived, or dermis-derived, also have the potential to differentiate into all of these different cell types in actually a much more controlled fashion.

What you don’t hear is that these embryonic stem cells have shown this great differentiating potential only because those cells have been injected into an environment where they choose what to become. When they’re in a body, the cells sense their environment and spontaneously differentiate into cartilage or bones or neurons or whatever they want to, in an uncontrolled fashion. It’s a result of teratoma formation – teratoma is a developmental tumor. That’s what’s being formed from these embryonic stem cells.

If you’re familiar with cancer, there’s a two-hit hypothesis: the first one is immortalization, the second one is transformation. Embryonic stem cells that have been shown to differentiate into anything can do so because they have been immortalized with a gene called telomerase. If you have a cell that is immoral, it will be around longer. The longer it’s around, the more chances it has to be affected by some other chemical that has the potential to cause transformation to cancer. So, the irony is that the very gene that makes the embryonic stem cells differentiate into anything is the very gene that can eventually cause cancer.

Adult cells, in contrast, are from your and my bone marrow. You can take those cells, grow them normally, then put them into different conditions of culture and you can make the same cells become neurons in one system and muscle in another system. It’s really fascinating to see the complexity, to realize that the stem cells are actually in our own bodies as adults.

CS: Why would people want to use embryonic stem cells if adult stem cells are clearly better?

RT: From my perspective as a scientist who has been working in the area and going to various meetings, there are political and monetary reasons for being proponents of embryonic stem cells. They’re looking for grant funding and investments from the investment community, private funding, and things like that. Also, man in this world doesn’t want to be told, “no, you can’t do that,” so they’ll push their own agendas.

There are articles in the popular press that paint anyone who works with adult stem cells as a bit of a quack, as someone off the mainstream. It’s really quite frustrating, even to my science colleagues who are not Christians, because we see that the science bears out that adult stem cells work and they’re safe.

CS: What are you doing currently in your work?

RT: What we’ve tried to do is get our fingers into other people’s projects and branch out into projects in cardiac biology, cell transplants for heart attacks and Parkinson’s disease, and cells for cartilage repair. We’ve also been collaborating with a group on looking at the ability of stem cells to home into tumors, back to the cancer idea.

Alumna Sara Ellingwood Joins New Field of Genetic Counseling
from The Christian Scholar, September 2002

ENC alumna Sara (Turmenne) Ellingwood (99) graduated with a BS in biology, and in May 2002 completed an MS at Brandeis University in genetic counseling, a new field on the cutting edge of genetic research and the associated ethical issues. Sara and husband Brady Ellingwood (2000), who is pursuing an MBA at Suffolk University, recently moved to Maine, where Sara has a position as a genetic counselor at the Foundation for Blood Research in Scarborough. Shortly before completing her master’s program, Sara sat down with Christian Scholar writer heather Davis to talk about her unconventional career.

Heather Davis:Can you give me some background about how you first came to be interested in the sciences?

Sara Ellingwood: I’ve just always been interested in science and math and in knowing how things work and come together. When I was little, my favorite TV shows tended to be things like “3-2-1 Contact” and “Bill Nye,” although I have to admit, I watched a little “Bill Nye” in college, too!

HD:When the time came to decide, what made you choose biology from among the other sciences?

SE: I always thought that I wanted to go into medicine, so I came to ENC thinking I would go on to medical school. I had always liked working with people and with biology and thought pre-medicine was a good way to bring these together.

HD: What did you like best about ENC’s biology program?

SE: The faculty is definitely the best part of the program. ENC doesn’t have as much lab space [as other colleges and universities], but what makes up for that is the contact students here have with their professors, who try to make the lab experiences as real as possible. I actually found, when I entered my graduate program, that I knew as much as anybody else, and I had even had more lab experience than some of the students who went to bigger colleges, since some bigger schools don’t require as much lab for undergraduates.

HD:While you were at ENC, did you have any mentors?

SE: Dan Shea and Cindy Davis. Dan Shea has always been a wonderful support and encourager and even now he’s serving on my graduate research project committee. Outside of the biology field, I felt that I had a lot of support from the psychology department, especially Doug Hardy. Genetic counseling was very new to them – it’s pretty much new to everybody – but they were incredibly supportive and interested in helping me achieve my goal.

HD:What made you decide to go on to genetic counseling, rather than medicine?

SE: I spent some time in a summer internship at the University of Virginia, and I worked with a variety of physicians and medical students who were all very nice people but incredibly busy. When the summer ended, I sat back and thought, I really need a career where I can have a normal life. I felt that I could probably do medicine, but I really wanted to make sure I had time to have a family and make that my first priority, so I came back and told my [ENC] advisor Cindy Davis about my concerns. She helped me look at many options, but the more I read about genetic counseling and talked to some counselors, the more fascinated I became by it. I minored in psychology and spent time at New England Medical Center with a counselor, observing and helping her.

HD:You said that many people don’t know about genetic counseling, including medical professionals. What can you tell us about the field?

SE: Genetic counseling is a relatively new field; the first master’s programs were started in the early 1970s. Genetic counselors are medical professionals who have specialized training in both genetics and counseling, so we work as an interface for patients between them and the medical system. The traditional setting for genetic counselors is prenatal, working with people with high-risk pregnancies. We also work in pediatric settings, mostly with families who have children with special needs, helping to find a diagnosis and then determining a recurrence risk – what’s the chance of this happening again? – because many of these parents really want to know this before going on to have other children. the newest setting is in cancer genetics, now that researchers have discovered that several genes can run in families and predispose people for either breast or colon cancer. We work with people who are considering having testing for these genetic issues – explaining what the testing entails, talking about how the knowledge can affect their lives, and then offering the testing if they choose to have it.

HD:What do you do that’s above and beyond what the average primary care physician can offer somebody?

SE: In the past, genetic counseling was done primarily by doctors, but as we make more discoveries, it’s difficult for physicians to keep on top of all the tests available, and many doctors either don’t have the time to explain them to their patients, or can’t offer as much psychosocial support. Genetic counselors keep on of all the new advances in genetics; we know what testing is available; we can analyze family histories and look for patterns; and we’re trained in providing psychosocial support for people trying to decide if they want certain tests or whether they want to make changes in their medical care based on the results of testing.

HD:Why did you choose Brandeis University for your master’s?

SE: Brandeis has the only genetic counseling program in New England, one of only 26 programs in the country, and I really liked that the program spends a lot of time working with people with disabilities. It gives you a perspective on what it’s like to live with a disability, and this perspective is really important for us as counselors.

HD: You’re now finishing your second and final year in the program. Looking back, what have been some of your struggles, and rewards, from this experience?

SE: The biggest struggles for me have been some of the ethical issues in genetic counseling. Much of the technology being currently offered is very ethically charged, like prenatal testing – after receiving the information, some clients will choose to end pregnancies. And the rewards really depend on the setting where you’re working; in the prenatal setting, one of the most exciting things you can do is tell somebody that everything’s fine, and that’s usually what happens – 95% of the time in a prenatal setting, you give good news. But it can also be rewarding to help people work through issues when you have to give them bad news.

Genetic counselors help people explore their own values and beliefs so they can come to decisions about what to do with the information they have been given. In a pediatric setting, it’s exciting when you can finally give parents an answer; if they’ve known for a long time that something is different about their child, but they haven’t been able to figure out what or why or what to expect in the future, helping them find answers is rewarding.

HD: What learning experiences have you taken from the internships you have been doing in your graduate program?

SE: Last summer (2001) I interned at the Foundation for Blood Research in Scarborough, Maine, and I saw many pediatric patients – mostly making diagnoses – and saw a lot of cancer counseling, too. Family histories often indicate a genetic mutation that causes a predisposition to cancer, so many clients came in very worried and wanted to know if they carried a cancer gene. Most people come in for cancer counseling thinking they want a particular test but not necessarily realizing the many complications – not from the test itself, which is a simple blood test, but rather how this information will change their lives. The counselor’s job is to help clients think through questions like, what will you do if you find out you have this gene? Will it affect your ability to get life insurance? Or what if you find out a sibling has the gene but you don’t? How will you feel?

HD: Can you tell me a bit about the thesis and research you’re currently finishing?

SE: I’m studying the views pastors have about prenatal genetic counseling. I’m interested in how a pastor would choose to counsel a parishioner faced with a difficult decision because of information received during a prenatal test. Al Truesdale and Dan Shea are on my research committee. Dr. Truesdale is the leading Nazarene bioethicist and has written quite a bit about bioethics and how Christians should respond to new technology. This is great support because, as a believer, I’m definitely in the minority in my field. I haven’t met many Christians in genetic counseling, which unfortunately can have a negative image.

Genetic counseling is not about eliminating people with disabilities; it is about providing information and explanations to people who decide to have genetic testing. We support them and try to help them make the best decisions, but some people feel that the best decision for them is to end a pregnancy or give a baby up for adoption, which is a very difficult ethical issue to face.

HD:How have you been learning to combine the challenges of your career and your faith?

SE: I struggle with many issues, and I don’t know that I have it all right yet. Sometimes, I look at the technology we can offer people, and I wonder if we’re doing a good thing. But I really feel that people need a good counselor to help them understand the technology and what it can and cannot offer. I don’t always necessarily think that testing is good, but genetic counselors are supposed to give information, not push people to have tests. If patients aren’t talking to a genetic counselor, they’re talking to their physicians, and physicians generally push tests, when patients often don’t realize they have an option to test or not.

Obviously, some of my clients will not make decisions the way I would, or will not decide to do what I think is best for them, but I can still be there to talk with them. The most important thing I can offer any of my clients is compassion, and this trait is something you learn and practice as a Christian. Giving people explanations and helping to guide them through the decision-making process is a good place to be; you can really sit with people and find out what their values and religious beliefs are, what’s important to them and their families.

Alums Pay Tribute to Dr. D. K. Shea
from The Christian Scholar, March 2003

Kim Rose (02)

Dr. Shea’s impact on my life was so profound that I am surrounded by constant reminders of it. I realize how much I have come to rely on the foundational principles I learned from Dr. Shea’s science classes. He often encouraged all of us to take time from our busy schedules and really enjoy the people around us. I still recall his words because he really practiced them. He was a remarkable teacher and friend. I am grateful that he helped me realize that becoming a better person is more important than measurable success as a student.

(Kim Rose is a first year medical student enrolled in the eight-year MD/PhD program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC.)

Sara Ellingwood (99)

Dan Shea taught me a lot about science. I was constantly impressed by his depth of knowledge and his love for biology. He was an excellent teacher and knew how to spark his students’ interest in a topic. But he made a more lasting impression on me. He taught me about compassion, patience, and wisdom. His life was an example to those around him. He cared for each of his students and enjoyed getting to know them personally. I often reflect on his example of caring for others and trusting in God; these memories will remain with me forever.

(Sara Ellingwood has a master’s in genetic counseling from Brandeis University, and works at the Foundation for Blood Research in Scarborough, ME.)

Allison Branagan Switzer (82)

I remember Dan’s patience with students. No question was too dumb, no practice seminar beyond hope. He hosted Biology Club Bible studies and parties, played basketball, climbed Mt. Katahdin, whale watched, oversaw research projects, and taught Sunday school. Dan was a friend and a mentor to all of his students, majors and non-majors, the quick-studies and the struggling. We kept in touch over the years as Dan did with many of his former students.

(Allison Branagan Switzer earned her PhD in botany from the University of Georgia in 1988 and is a visiting associate professor of biology at Coker College, Hartsville, SC.)

Chris Cove (81)

There are certain people who have an instant impact on your life and then there are others who have a lasting one. There are professors who are mentors and there are those that become friends. Dan Shea was unique because he was all of these to me. When I was challenged, I would look to him for support, and when I triumphed, I would look to him for praise. Dan knew so well how to administer each. There are tears as I write because I will miss my friend and mentor. More importantly, I am overjoyed because his impact was immediate and everlasting.

(Chris Cove graduated from Cornell University Medical School in 1985 and is assistant director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center.)

Cecily Rasys (00)

Throughout my years at ENC, Dr. Shea proved to be an incredible teacher, mentor, and example to his students. His humble and patient approach to his students’ academic and personal struggles continually impressed on me the example of what a Christian could be. He gently guided and encouraged me as I struggled with my beliefs throughout my sojourn at ENC and opened my eyes to our beautiful world and how it relates to our faith.

(Cecil Rasys is a third year student at Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine, interested in small animal medicine.

Ross Tubo (81)

When I reflect on the impact that Dan has had on my life, I am in awe of a man who humbly lived out God’s call on his life to minister at ENC. I loved the way Dan taught, slow and deliberate, making sure that we understood. Dan was an outstanding scientist and dedicated professor who carefully guided his students toward their future.

(Ross Tubo is the senior director of stem cell biology at Genyzme. He has a PhD from SUNY Buffalo and conducted post-doc research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.)

Christy Stotler (91)

I came to know Dr. Shea as so many of us did, as a shy freshman at ENC. He was a quiet and steadfast presence, and through time, he came to be a trusted mentor and dear friend. Dan rejoiced in others’ successes, listened to their concerns, and offered honest and solid advice without ever telling one what to do for fear that he would modify your true decision. Dan Shea became a reflection of the face of Christ to me and I feel blessed to have shared some time and journey together here. Dan walked through life with a grateful heart. Mine is grateful for having known him.

(Christy Stotler graduated from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2000 and will complete her residency in internal medicine at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh in June.)

Dean Quimby(81)

I remember Dan Shea, never as professor or even teacher, but always as “Dan,” the embodiment of gentle and genteel, the clear voice of reason in any storm. I was graced with his company on a Dr. McLaren adventure up Mt. Katahdin in 1978. The group bounded up the mile high mountain, crept perilously across the “Knife’s Edge,” and finally was strung out and stranded on the dark trail at day’s end. Dan was shoring up the stragglers, giving comfort amidst the cold, the lurking animals and bone-weariness. On that desolate night, I am certain if Dan had met a hungry bear in those lonesome, pitch-black woods, he would have simply said, “Excuse me, please,” and the bear would tip his hat and him pass, so evident was God’s mark upon him. I knew Dan before he was a legend, but have always appreciated his example, another Solitary Life that will touch countless generations.

(Dean Quimby is a family practitioner in Lancaster County, PA.)

Esther Johnson (80)

Fresh out of a master’s degree program (1977), Dan Shea looked like one of us college students. He was soft-spoken and usually smiling. He was always available for academic or personal problems. When asked a number of years ago to write a letter in support of his tenure, I had no difficulty. He was a very good professor and a fine rolde model and Christian. He gave of his time and himself to his students. He will be truly missed and mourned by the ENC community and his biology alumni.

(Esther Johnson earned her medical degree from Penn State College of Medicine in 1984, and practices pediatric and adolescent medicine in Dunkirk, MD.)

Cara Wallinton (97)

As I reflect on my ENC days, it is the friendships and relationships that made my time there so significant. Dr. Shea’s friendship was one of them. He was a friend, counselor, career advisor, and fellow Christian, as well as one of my biology professors. A warm-hearted smile always greeted you, and he always found time if you needed assistance. I shall miss him terribly, and only hope that some of his good-willed nature will be lived out in those of us that have known him.

(Cara Wallington was awarded a Bachelor of Medical Science with First Class Honours in 2001 from Nottingham University (UK) where she is in her final year of medical school.

Cynthia Riedel Sainsbury (79)

I was in one of the first classes that Dan taught his first year at ENC. We were drawn to his knowledge of the subject; his caring, humble manner; and availability to answer questions or provide extra help. Through the years, I found him to be as interested in my life after I left ENC, as when I was a student. He modeled the qualities of Christ with his heart, mind and soul. He was truly a gentle man, yet showed passion for his faith, his family and his field of study.

(Cynthia Riedel Sainsbury is a 1983 graduate of the Medical College of PA and works in an office-based practice in family medicine in the Pittsburgh South Hills area.)

Daniel West (77)

In the 30 years I knew Professor Dan Shea, our paths crossed many times and in many ways. He was a wonderful Christian man who consistently demonstrated Christ-like love in all his endeavors and in all his relationships. One could not ask for a dearer, more loyal friend than he. Dan’s life was characterized by compassion and gentleness. He truly cared for people, regardless of their stature, rank, or personal challenge. He consistently took time to listen, to guide, to minister. Perhaps that is why he was such an exceptional mentor, husband, father, and friend. A wonderful, yet uncommon, combination of traits in a man is a warm spirit and a brilliant mind. Dan Shea was blessed with both.

(Daniel West, chairman of the ENC board of trustees, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 1982 and practices in New Holland, PA.)

Stephen Anderson (96)

Dr. Shea was a pivotal personage in my life. He was my professor, mentor, counselor, and friend. During a period of reflection, adjustment, and refinement in my life, he was an example to me of a man who was driven by God to put forth his greatest effort as if for God. I will always remember him as a warm and sensitive servant for the Lord.

(Stephen Anderson graduated from Loma Linda University Medical Center (CA) in 2001 and is in his second year of residency in emergency medicine at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center.

David Schubert (89)

Dan Shea was one of the finest people I have ever known. All that I have achieved can be directly attributed to him and the Department of Biology at ENC that he anchored and helped define over the years. Dan was a man of great intelligence, caring, compassion and commitment to his students. His passion for excellence in higher learning burns on in the hundreds of students who had the pleasure of sitting in his classes and learning from a true scholar and educator. All ENC graduates, friends, and family owe Dan Shea a tremendous debt of gratitude for his years of service and the life-long impact that he has made on so many.

(David Schubert is the founder and president of CellExSys, an early stage biotechnology company in Seattle, WA.)

Biology Department
Eastern Nazarene College
23 East Elm Avenue Quincy, Massachusetts 02170
Phone: 617-745-3551 | email: Biology Department Head

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