I have a 25-year track record in hormone-dependent cancer research, and specifically I have focused on understanding how epigenomic mechanisms can act as disease-drivers, with the goal to exploit this understanding in diagnostic and therapeutic settings. In 2010, I came to the critical realization that to meet my research goals would require the comprehensive analyses of high dimensional data, which in turn required computational and statistical expertise that I did not have. Therefore, I undertook mid-career “re-tooling” and completed a Master’s in Bioinformatics from Johns Hopkins University. This equipped me with the insight, understanding and tools to both lead my own research group, and to participate in the research of others who wish to apply these capabilities and insights. In turn this has allowed me to drive harder at achieving my research goals.