David J. Mangelsdorf, Ph.D., has made a career traversing the road less traveled. For nearly 20 years, his investigations at UT Southwestern have taken divergent paths, and the role of serendipity has influenced him greatly. Dr. Mangelsdorf is renowned for things he never set out to do: finding a therapy for treatment-resistant skin cancer; identifying possible new ways to lower cholesterol or treat type 2 diabetes; and outlining a revolutionary strategy to eradicate a group of parasites that have plagued humans for centuries.