In the spring of 2002, Irene Salter was on the verge of a successful scientific career. After attaining her PhD in neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco, the 26-year-old Salter secured a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship to study at the prestigious University of Cambridge. She was planning to build on her doctoral work, studying the neuroscience behind drug-seeking behavior in an animal model she developed at UCSF. Her potential for scientific achievement seemed boundless.
Irene's husband, Jason, planned to follow her by applying to the London Business School, but he was put on the wait list at the last minute. Salter deferred her position for a year so her husband could reapply, and used that free year to reflect on her volunteer work at UCSF's Science and Health Education Partnership, where she advised local teachers, participated in after-school science programs, and enjoyed her interactions with students ...
