Who is L. Gabriel Navar?
From Farming to Research
Luis Gabriel (Gabby) Navar was born in El Paso, Texas. When he was little, Gabby did not have
anything to do with science or medicine. He was interested in farming and
ranching because that is what his father did. However, Gabby liked the
science and math courses that he took in high school.
Studying Farming
Gabby planned to study
more about farming. However, his father told Gabby that he should consider
go to veterinary school instead because this would allow him to combine his
interests in science also. So that is what he did. Gabby went to college at
Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, because it had a good
veterinary school. He finished college in 1962. While he was in veterinary
school, Gabby found out that he liked his science classes better than he
liked the classes that had to do with sick animals. That was what made him
decide to transfer to a school where he could learn about research.
Choosing the Right School and Teacher
Since physiology was his
favorite class, Gabby looked for schools that had good teachers and classes
for studying physiology. After doing a lot of searching, he decided to go to
the University of Mississippi to study under Dr. Arthur Guyton. Dr. Guyton wrote a very famous book
called Textbook of Medical Physiology that is used in a lot of
classes.That had a lot to do with Gabby’s deciding to go there.
Also, Dr. Guyton’s liked to talk to the students in his laboratory, and
Gabby really liked that.
During the next few
years, Gabby learned all about the physiology of the kidney. He learned how
kidneys help keep the water in the body at the right levels so people don’t
swell up or shrink too much. Dr. Guyton had a big influence on Gabby during
school and for a long time after that too. He was a very good teacher and
gave lots of advice. Gabby got his Ph.D. degree in 1966.
Reaching the Top
After getting his degree, Dr. Navar stayed at
the University of Mississippi for several years teaching and doing research. Then in 1974 he moved to
the University of Alabama at Birmingham and stayed there
until 1988. That was when he was asked to move to New Orleans and be the
Chair of the department at Tulane Medical School. He did so and
has been the Chair at Tulane University Health Sciences
Center for over 15 years.
Research
Even though he runs the department, Dr. Navar
still finds time to do his research. He studies the many ways the body has
to make sure that the kidneys keep working right. He learns about the amount
of salt your body needs to get rid of to stay healthy. Then he finds out
what happens to that level when your blood pressure goes up or down.
Helping Physiology
Dr. Navar has been helping APS out for a long
time. He likes being on committees and getting new things done. He also
works with the magazines that APS prints so that all the scientists learn
about new research. In 1991 all the members of APS elected him to be on the
APS Council to help run the Society. The members then elected him again in
1998 to be President. While he was President of APS, Dr. Navar wanted more
people to become members. He tried different ways to let people know about
APS. Because of him, APS ended up with more than 10,000 members. He also
made sure that members from overseas were treated the same as members from
the US and could vote and be on committees.
Since he became a Chair, Dr. Navar has helped
run another society made up of all the chairs of physiology departments. He
was elected by them to be on their Council and then to be President too. In
2003, that group gave him the biggest award that they have for all the work
he has done.
Away From Work
Dr. Navar loves to
travel. He goes all over the world to talk to others about his research.
Because of that, he has many friends all around the world.
Dr. Navar also likes to
fish and play racquetball. He spends a lot of his free time with his family
and especially his grandchildren, whom he thinks are the best grandkids
ever.
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