Renee Collier was Derek's research fellow during his time at the NIH.
Quick Answers
What role did Renee play in Derek's NIH research?
How did Renee's research impact Derek's work?
Did Derek tell Meredith about kissing Renee?
History[]
Working with Derek[]
Renee was working at the NIH under Derek Shepherd as a research fellow. Her research into curing autism piqued his interest because he thought he could apply it to his own research, so they worked closely together. When she hit a wall and became frustrated, he encouraged her to keep going, saying she was frustrated because she was close to a breakthrough. He ended up working on her research on his own. He called her in the middle of the night when he found something. She came into the lab and when she saw what he had discovered, she was so excited that she said she could kiss him, but then said she wouldn't. Despite this, the two shared a kiss, after which Derek pulled back and said that he loves his wife and doesn't want anyone but her, leading him to leave the NIH to go back to Seattle. ("With or Without You")
Meredith's Phone Call[]
Derek forgot his phone in the lab as he rushed to the airport. Meredith called him and Renee answered, but she got confused since she expected it was Derek calling from another phone. She didn't reply to Meredith's questions and soon hung up. ("I Feel the Earth Move")
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
While working with Derek Shepherd, she developed romantic feelings for him. After he helped make a breakthrough in her research, she said she could kiss him, but said she wouldn't. However, the two did share a kiss, after which Derek said he loved his wife and didn't want anything but her, causing him to move back to Seattle.
Familial[]
She has a younger sister who is autistic. She says that she always wondered what her sister was thinking, which led her to a side project of trying to cure autism.
Career[]
Renee is a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health. She worked closely with Derek Shepherd during his time there as she was assigned to The Brain Mapping Initiative. She was working on a cure for autism as a side project and her research into that caught Derek's attention because he felt it could be helpful with his own research.
Appearances[]
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 11 | |||||
| #01 | "I Must Have Lost It on the Wind" | #09 | "Where Do We Go From Here" | #17 | "With or Without You" |
| #02 | "Puzzle With a Piece Missing" | #10 | "The Bed's Too Big Without You" | #18 | "When I Grow Up" |
| #03 | "Got to Be Real" | #11 | "All I Could Do Was Cry" | #19 | "Crazy Love" |
| #04 | "Only Mama Knows" | #12 | "The Great Pretender" | #20 | "One Flight Down" |
| #05 | "Bend & Break" | #13 | "Staring at the End" | #21 | "How to Save a Life" |
| #06 | "Don't Let's Start" | #14 | "The Distance" | #22A #22B |
"She's Leaving Home, Part 1" "She's Leaving Home, Part 2" |
| #07 | "Could We Start Again, Please?" | #15 | "I Feel the Earth Move" (voice) | #23 | "Time Stops" |
| #08 | "Risk" | #16 | "Don't Dream It's Over" | #24 | "You're My Home" |