 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
||||
| |
|
||||
| |
|||||
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
 |
|||
| |
|
|
Who is Hannah Carey? Coming Full Circle
Hannah V. Carey was born in Brooklyn, NY. When she was growing up she loved animals and learning about biology for as long as she can remember. Hannah spent most of her summers as a child in the country near the Long Island Sound, where she was got to be around and learn about both animals that live on land and those that live in the ocean.
To Be or Not to Be a Vet
After she had been in college for a couple of years, a few teachers and the classes they taught made Hannah think about trying a research career and getting a PhD degree instead of a vet degree. Hannah did not get to do research while she was in college like so many students get to do today. Yet her teachers still were able to show her that she would be happier learning how to do her own research and studying how animals came to be the way they are, rather than learning how to treat sick animals. It was those teachers and classes that really made Hannah excited about a career doing research and teaching at a college. Making Physiology a CareerWhen she finished college in 1977, Hannah decided to try a school on the other side of the country. She moved to California to attend the University of California-Davis to get her PhD. Although she always enjoyed her college classes that had to do with physiology, she wanted to do more ecology and field biology (studying animals out where they live, instead of in a lab) for her PhD research. After getting her PhD degree in 1983, Dr. Carey went on to do additional training in research, first at University of Nevada and then at Ohio State University. It was then that she went back to studying physiology. She was able to take what she knew about ecology and combine it with physiology. By doing that, she soon saw that physiology was what she wanted to study from then on. Back to Vet SchoolIn 1989 Dr. Carey was offered a job in the veterinary school at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Carey finds it funny that she has ended up getting a job in a vet school when that was what she used to think she wanted to be. Of course, back when she was in college, she didn’t know about all the things a vet could do besides just treat sick animals. Today there are many other jobs besides clinical work that vets do that are very important and very exciting. Even though Dr. Carey got a PhD instead of becoming a veterinary doctor, in some way she feels that she has now come full circle with her job in the vet school. She really likes working in a vet school, especially at such a great place as the University of Wisconsin. That is why Dr. Carey has stayed there after getting her first job. Animals That HibernateDr. Carey’s research involves animals that hibernate during the winter months. Much of her work has focused on how their guts work before, during and after they hibernate. A lot of what she is doing now is taking what she and her co-workers have learned about hibernation and adapting it to develop ways to improve the health of humans and other animals. One thing she is trying to do is find a way to keep organs preserved longer (like livers, hearts) before they are transplanted. She is also trying to better understand the remarkable physiology of hibernating animals to find new ways to help people who have had bad injuries.
Other Jobs
Doing work for the college and for physiology is also something Dr. Carey gets to do. She has been on many committees, both for her college and for APS. In 1999, she was elected by all the members of APS to be on the APS Council and help lead the Society. While she was doing that, Dr. Carey was asked to be in charge of a group to figure out how to make more people aware of the APS and the research that all the members are doing. One thing that group suggested was to start a committee that would have the job of making sure newspapers and TV knew about physiology and the research being done. Dr. Carey was asked this year (2005) to be the Chair of that very important committee. Outside of WorkDr. Carey makes sure she saves some time for outdoor sports. Her favorites are hiking and skiing. She also loves to travel, and in her job she gets to travel all over the US and even overseas. Dr. Carey also likes give talks to students and people. She gives talks about her research, about how to have a career in science, and about using animals in research. She goes to elementary and middle schools, senior citizen’s groups, and community groups to talk. This fall (2005), she has been asked to be one of the main speakers at the National Association of Biology Teachers national meeting, talking about her research.
|
|
|
