About Ben
Researcher
With a background in genetics, cell and molecular biology, and developmental biology, my professional laboratory is devoted to finding better therapies for pancreatic cancer, liver disease, and diabetes through research.
Clinician
I remain clinically active as a gastroenterologist. No matter what else is happening in my life, any day that I remove a polyp from a patient - one that will never turn into a cancer - is a good day.
Author
As a kid growing up in New York, my exposure to nature came from books and TV shows rather than lakes and forests. New York was a special place in this respect, because it was filled with opportunities to learn about science directly from scientists. Listening to them, I realized that science isn't a set of facts - it's a quest. I hope that idea comes across in my science writing: research is as much about the questions as it is about the answers.
Mission
My goal as a writer and as a professional scientist and science writer is to help understand and appreciate the world around us and within us. Our bodies are the products of a million microscopic miracles happening each and every second.