Who is Sue Barman?
From Soap to Soap Operas
Susan M. Barman was born in Joliet, IL on August 28,
1949, a middle child with four siblings.
An early indication that she was destined to be a scientist was
that, at the age of 9, she spent her summer trying to “teach” soap to
float. “If Ivory soap can
float, others should be able to too” was frequently heard by those who
questioned her “experiments” conducted in the bathtub.
Also, she was one of the few students in her class that actually
enjoyed the word problems in math.
Despite her interest in problem solving, Sue
certainly had no plans to be a scientist. Her science training in
elementary school was limited to having the teacher write sentences
containing some scientific facts on the board on Monday, and the class was
tested on these facts on Friday. “Science” as she knew it was rather
boring.
Moreover, at the age of 12, Sue said that she wanted
to quit school at the age of 16, get married, and have 12 kids!
There was no support from her family about the first part of that
goal, and so she knew she would have to complete high school.
In high school, science took on a new meaning.
She particularly enjoyed the laboratories in biology, chemistry,
and physics classes. Many lab
experiments turned out disastrously and some humorously (a fermentation
experiment in which she added way too much yeast and the smell of wine
penetrated the school hallway!), but she never lost interest in doing
them. Still, the thought of becoming a scientist did not cross her
mind. Although not recognized
as such at the time, the importance of a mentor/advisor in shaping a
future was evident in her Senior year.
At the “recommendation” (actually demand) of her
high school counselor, Sue began to plan for college.
At the urging of this counselor, Sue applied for and received
several scholarships to cover her expenses at Loyola University in
Chicago, and she talked of plans to go to medical school.
But her desire to become a doctor was motivated more by her
admiration for a woman doctor on a soap opera than a passion to treat/cure
the sick. But like hundreds of other students entering Loyola in 1967,
she became a pre-med Biology major. She also became the first person in
her family to go to college!
Discovering Physiology
Being a biology major at Loyola University, Sue
gained an appreciation for the “scientific method.”
Although the lab experiments were often just following a set of
“cookbook” instructions, on several occasions she was able to design
and carry out a very simple experiment.
In her Senior year she became a lab instructor in a course entitled
“Anatomy and Physiology” that was part of the curriculum for Nursing
students. She loved the
challenge of guiding students through experiments every Thursday morning
and afternoon. Also that
year, the Biology Department hired two new faculty members, one who taught
“Vertebrate Physiology“ the first semester and another who taught
“Cell Physiology” the second term.
Without a doubt, these classes were her favorite of her
undergraduate training, and she developed a special enthusiasm for the
neural and cardiovascular portions of the Vertebrate Physiology course.
The Instructor of that course (Dr. E. Cardona) also taught the
“Anatomy and Physiology” course in the second semester so, as one its
lab instructors, Sue had an opportunity to interact with him, especially
in planning and setting up the experiments for the Nursing students.
She developed an even better understanding of how important it is
to design experiments with appropriate controls.
During her Senior year, all of her pre-med Biology
major friends were anxiously applying to many medical schools.
Sue knew that her initial motive for going to medical school was so
different than theirs and really had not changed.
So she applied to only one school, and when she was placed on the
waiting list, it did not phase her. But
by the end of the school year, she suddenly panicked.
School was ending, and what could she do? She was not eager to fall back onto her earlier life goals of
getting married and having 12 kids. She
knew she needed “a career.” During
finals week, she sat on the floor of Dr. Cardona’s office in tears
saying, “What can I do with
a degree in Biology?” And
he very quickly responded, “Sue, you really seem to enjoy Physiology. Why don’t you get a PhD in Physiology?”
Dreams Can Come True
Sue was fortunate that, although late in applying,
she was accepted into the Physiology Graduate Program at Indiana
University Medical Center in Indianapolis for Fall 1971.
For several reasons, she chose to transfer from that school to the
Physiology Department at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood IL
and entered that program in Summer, 1972.
There she was funded by a National Institutes of Health (NIH)
training grant. At the time,
the Department was chaired by Dr. Walter C. Randall, who later (1982-83)
served as President of the American Physiological Society (APS).
This Department was internationally recognized for its research on
neural control of the heart. Thus, this program was well suited to Sue’s
growing interest in neural and cardiovascular physiology.
She joined Dr. Robert D. Wurster’s laboratory in Fall 1972, where
she worked on spinal cord control of blood pressure and heart rate.
Her first study showed that a descending sympathetic pathway in the
spinal cord (fiber tracts from neurons located in the brainstem) was
“viscerotopically organized.” Simply
put, the most dorsal parts of this pathway controlled sympathetic nerves
to the blood vessels of the head and most ventral parts of this pathway
controlled sympathetic nerves to the blood vessels of the hindlimb, and
the heart and kidney were controlled by parts of the pathway between these
two extremes. Sue was really
delighted when a drawing of this “map” that appeared as a figure in
her first publication in Circulation Research was included as a
figure in the Handbook of Physiology a few years later!
In her second year of graduate school, a visiting scientist from
Germany was impressed with her laboratory skills and promised her a
postdoctoral position in Germany to study spinal cord neurophysiology.
So unlike most graduate students, she did not have to try to seek
such a position.
The environment at Loyola and the opportunities it
offered made physiology not just a career choice but a passion for Sue.
Dr. Randall tried hard to make the Department be like a family.
There was a great deal of comaraderie among the students, staff, and
faculty. This eased many of
the common struggles often encountered in graduate school.
When Physiology graduate students passed their qualifying exam, Dr.
Randall made certain that they became student members of the APS.
All students received funds to attend and present at the annual
Fall meeting of the APS (held on a college campus) and the FASEB meeting
(held annually in Atlantic City at that time).
Sue also received funds to attend and present at meetings of the
Society for Neuroscience. Going
to scientific meetings led to the opportunity to meet many physiologists
whose friendships are maintained today.
Notably, Dr. Larry Schramm at Johns Hopkins University helped shape
her career. Larry and Sue shared some common research interests, leading
to their original contact at the Fall APS meeting in Rochester, NY in
1973. From that day on, Sue
has often turned to Larry for both advice and sympathy!
Perhaps his most significant advice was given while sitting in
the balcony over the exhibit area of the Atlantic City Convention Center
in 1975. Larry knew that Sue
had a strong interest in the work of Dr. Gerard L. Gebber at Michigan
State University (MSU). While
leaving a session where she had just presented a talk at the 1975 FASEB
meeting, Dr. Gebber approached her about joining his laboratory as a
Postdoctoral Research Associate in the fall.
This offer was a dream come true, but how could she back-out of the
Germany arrangement? Larry
effectively guided her through a plan that led to a start of a very
productive research collaboration with Jerry Gebber that continues today.
Giving a New Meaning to the Term “Temporary”
Although the initial plan was to stay at MSU for two
years, the stay is now in its 27th year.
She rose from the rank of Research Associate through all the
faculty levels until she became a Professor in 1995.
She was the first woman (to date the only woman) promoted to this
rank in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at MSU.
Her position was initially in the non-tenure track, which at MSU
was referred to as “Temporary Appointment.”
Although offers were made to get a tenure-track (permanent)
position at other institutions, the excitement, benefits, and satisfaction
of her productive collaboration with Jerry Gebber meant more to her than
moving away from MSU to get tenure at another university.
Sue has always been a believer in the expression “Good things
come to those who wait.” She credits hard work, perseverance, and a
positive attitude with eventually having her dreams come true.
In 1995, her research on “how the brain controls blood
pressure” led to the receipt of a prestigious MERIT (Method to Extend
Research in Time) Award from the NIH.
And three years later her “temporary” faculty position became a
tenured faculty position at MSU.
After over a quarter of a century being an
integrative systems physiologist, Sue still gets delight out of designing
and doing new experiments, having her research results published in major
scientific journals, and having the opportunity to talk about her research
to other scientists or anyone who will listen!
As new technology develops to study the role of the brain in blood
pressure regulation, Sue can try to answer more difficult questions. The
fundamental aim of her work is to determine how the brain controls the
activity in nerves to blood vessels and the heart and thereby determine
the level of blood pressure and heart rate.
In addition to her duties of teaching medical and
graduate students at MSU and maintaining a funded research program, Sue
enjoys many of the other aspects of her career.
She has served on NIH Study Sections and on editorial boards of
major scientific journals, including the American Journal of
Physiology. Such duties
give her the opportunity to review work of other scientists and help make
sure that good science gets rewarded.
Sue is an active member of the APS, including having been Chair of
the Women in Physiology Committee and Chair of the Central Nervous System
Section Steering Committee. Sue
was recently elected by her peers to the prestigious position of Chair of
the Section Advisory Committee. With these activities, Sue has been able
to work with the Society to help make Physiology a career of choice for
others.
Amongst the fringe benefits of being a research
scientist, one is given opportunities to travel to present research
findings to other scientists. Sue
has traveled not only to many cities in the US but also to places like
Germany, England, Finland, Scotland, and the Grand Cayman Islands.
These are places she likely would not have visited had she settled
for quitting school at 16, getting married, and having 12 kids.
And although she was never able to teach soap to float, at least
she now understands what makes Ivory soap so special.
Outside Interests
Sue is an avid exerciser, getting up at around 5:00
a.m. daily to do aerobics, and she frequently does water aerobics in the
late afternoon. She loves to walk and participates in 5K Run/Walks for
charity. She walks the
neighborhood to solicit donations to these causes and has frequently been
the individual with the most donations for MSU Safe Place, a shelter for
abused women and children on campus.
She volunteers for the PBS TV station at MSU by answering phones
and soliciting bids during their annual auction.
She visits local schools to talk about a career in science and has
worked at local events promoting science such as “Science Day at the
Mall.” She finds
completing crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles both challenging and
relaxing. She enjoys reading;
her favorite author being Maeve Binchy.
She also gets pleasure out of spoiling her nieces and nephews!
Another dream that awaits coming to reality is to own a home
overlooking Lake Michigan so that when she retires she can enjoy daily
walks on the sandy beaches.
Advice to Graduate Students
Getting accepted into a graduate program is very
competitive. A solid academic performance particularly in the sciences and
high scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) are two factors to consider,
but just as important is experience.
So in addition to taking courses in physiology, biochemistry, and
physics if possible, during your undergraduate years you should avail
yourself of opportunities to be involved in research projects.
This might be as an Honors Project in some programs or even
by seeking employment in a physiology or other discipline research
laboratory on campus. Not
only does this let you get a better understanding of what research
entails, but also the scientist in that lab can be a good resource to help
you get accepted into a graduate program.
You may even explore the possibility of working in more than one
laboratory to get a better idea of what field of physiology most sparks
your interest. But do not
think that you have to have a specific interest before entering a graduate
program. Most programs give
first year students the opportunity to spend several weeks in different
labs to help you identify an area that excites you.
Recent Publications
1. Barman,
S.M., G.L. Gebber, and H.S. Orer. Medullary
lateral tegmental field: An important source of basal sympathetic nerve
discharge in the cat. Am.
J. Physiol.
278: R995-R1004,
2000.
2. Gebber, G.L., S. Zhong, C. Lewis, and S.M. Barman.
Defense-like patterns of spinal sympathetic outflow involving the
10-Hz and cardiac-related rhythms. Am. J.
Physiol. 278:
R1616-R1626, 2000.
3. Larsen, P.D., S. Zhong, G.L. Gebber, and S.M. Barman. Differential
pattern of spinal sympathetic outflow in response to stimulation of the
caudal medullary raphe. Am.
J. Physiol. 279: R210-R221, 2000.
4. Lewis,
C.D., G.L. Gebber, S. Zhong,
P.D. Larsen, and S.M. Barman. Modes
of baroreceptor-sympathetic coordination. J. Neurophysiol. 84:
1157-1167, 2000.
5. Lewis,
C.D., G.L. Gebber, P.D. Larsen, and S.M. Barman. Long-term correlations in the spike trains of
medullary sympathetic neurons. J. Neurophysiol.
85: 1614-1622, 2001.
6. Larsen, P.D., S. Zhong, G.L. Gebber, and S.M. Barman. Sympathetic nerve and
cardiovascular responses to chemical activation of the midbrain defense
region. Am. J.
Physiol. 280:
R1704-R1718, 2001.
7. Orer, H.S.,
S.M. Barman, and G.L. Gebber. Effects
on sympathetic activity of 8-OHDPAT and clonidine in the cat medullary
lateral tegmental field. Am.
J. Physiol. 281: H613-H622, 2001.
8. Barman,
S.M., H.S. Orer, and G. L. Gebber. Differential
effects of an NMDA and a non-NMDA receptor antagonist on medullary lateral
tegmental field neurons. Am.
J. Physiol. 282: R100-R113,
2002.
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