Gino Salituro

The main reason was to remain close to family and friends. We are a large close family and that was the main driver at the time. Parkside was an excellent fit both for affordability and academic rigor.

Really the only activity I was involved with outside of classes was undergraduate research on bioluminescence and chemiluminescence in the chemistry department.

Working in the lab and getting opportunities to present our research at local American Chemical Society conferences. We also did some research on developing tests for Cystic Fibrosis and visited patients at the children’s hospital in Milwaukee, which had a huge impact on me emotionally and with respect to my career ambitions.

My main influence was Professor Bruce Branchini. I joined his research team as a freshman and worked in the lab alongside my brother and other students. He pushed us to work hard in the lab and led by example with his dedication to the students and the research. Ultimately it was his influence that convinced me to leave Parkside early to attend graduate school at Johns Hopkins.

The experience clarified my professional goals. I became so immersed in the research that I knew that was what I wanted my career to focus on. Although I was only there for 2 years, Parkside prepared me for the challenges of graduate school at Johns Hopkins.

I have visited several times informally, but my main interaction is helping to set up and fund The Salituro and Branchini Science Scholarship to enable and encourage students to pursue careers in science and participate in undergraduate research.

Take advantage of the tremendous opportunities a school like Parkside can provide. The small size promotes meaningful engagement with faculty. Seek out research early and build relationships with faculty.

Through my work at Merck, I have been fortunate to contribute to the development of multiple life saving therapeutics and vaccines.  Most significant to me is work on Merck’s HPV vaccine Gardasil which is estimated to have prevented over 600,000 deaths from cervical cancer to date and is projected to avert an addition 1.5 million deaths over the next 5 years.

Dr. Bruce Branchini has been the most impactful.  He ignited my passion for science and research and made me realize how impactful the work could be. Bruce helped clarify ambitions and goals for me and my daughter Leah who had the good fortune of working in his lab when he was at Connecticut College.

We are a close family and recently we have all moved to Colorado and live close to one another.  All four of us have doctorate degrees in the sciences. My wife Ellen Barrabee and I have Ph.D’s in Organic Chemistry from Johns Hopkins; our daughter Alanna has a doctorate in Physical Therapy from Columbia; and our younger daughter Leah also has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry but from UC Irvine.  Alanna is expecting our first grandchild this November.

I have several depending on the situation.

Chance favors the prepared mind, and opportunity favors the bold.  Louie Pasteur

Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat.  Steve Jobs

These go to eleven. Nigel Tufnel (Spinaltap)

I mainly read science-related books and articles.

The Song of the Cell – By Siddhartha Mukherjee

Currently reading

Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong   by James W. Loewen

I enjoy cooking, good wine, gardening, and hiking.

I like to play jokes on people.  For example, I once moved into Dr. Branchini’s office while he was out for his honeymoon and made sure I was sitting in his chair on the morning he returned.

Throughout my career, I have tried to mentor and encourage the next generation of scientists, especially in underserved communities.  I have volunteered with organizations such as Citizen Teachers and Students 2 Science and am currently on the S2S Scientific Advisory Board.

I also do some part-time teaching at several universities and have been running resume and job-finding workshops for young scientists for the last 5-7 years.