At one point, Folkman discussed with his wife, Paula, whether he should quit research, close the lab, and return full-time to surgery. With Paula’s encouragement, which he later called “Spouse Activation Factor” (SAF), Folkman did the opposite. He quit clinical work and began full-time research. He recruited a handful of star students, overcoming warnings they had heard to stay away from Folkman and his work “by reminding them that they were so good that even if things didn’t work out and they left after a year, their careers wouldn’t be harmed,” he recalled years later. Folkman joined them in
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