Who is Kim Barrett?
Switching Her Experiments From Chemistry to PhysiologyKim was born in London, England. She is not really
sure when her interest started, but as far back as she can remember she
was interested in experiments and chemistry. As a seven-year old, she
clearly remembers checking all of the science books out of the children’s
section at her local library, then graduating to the adult science books.
She also begged her parents mercilessly until they bought her a chemistry
set for Christmas and then methodically worked through the 80-some
experiments.
Kim never really considered studying anything else
except science. Teachers were an incredibly important influence in her
life – especially her first chemistry teacher at high school, Elsa
Cameron, who was also the headmistress, as well as the two teachers who
taught her O-level and A-level (upper-level high school) chemistry,
respectively – Ann Parkin and Gill Ellis. Her teachers were also critical
in helping her shape her approach to university. By the time she was ready
for college, she had expanded her horizons to include biological problems
as well as chemical ones.
College Years
Kim decided to attend University College London in
Bloomsbury, in the center of London. She loved London (still does) and was
excited by the opportunity to study and live in its center compared with
the suburban settings she’d grown up in. She was also attracted by a new
course in Medicinal Chemistry, which combined her interests in chemistry
and biology.
However, Kim was the first in her extended family to
attend college – both of her parents had left school at 14 during the
Second World War. So she didn’t really know what to expect. However, when
she got there, she found that she felt completely at home in the world of
academia. She was impressed by the friendliness and dedication of several
faculty. Very quickly Kim resolved that the life of a professor was the
one for her.
It took a little while, but eventually, having
discovered that she was completely useless as a synthetic organic chemist
(her original career goal), she moved completely to work on biological
topics. She ended up selecting Dr. Fred Pearce as her undergraduate tutor.
When it came time to decide where to go for her
Ph.D., Kim decided to stay on at University College London in the lab of
Dr. Pearce. He was another important influence who kept her on track when
experiments didn’t always turn out right. Kim still was not really a
physiologist by any means. She received her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry,
although its topic and approaches were really those of immunology.
Coming to the US
After finishing her Ph.D., Dr. Barrett began thinking
about where to go for her postdoctoral training. Dr. Pearce encouraged her
to expand her horizons and take a post-doc in the US. She thought about it
and decided it would be in her best interests to get a “BTA” (been to
America), since she eventually wanted to get an academic job in Britain.
Up until that point Dr. Barrett had been quite a homebody, not even
leaving her home town for college or graduate school, so this was a big
decision for her to make.
Dr. Barrett came to the US to do a post-doc at the
NIH still working in the immunology field. But when her time in the US was
almost over and it was time to return home, fate intervened on two fronts:
she was dating someone she was loathe to leave at the time, and Margaret
Thatcher was presiding over a systematic downsizing of universities in the
UK, which meant that there were no real jobs back home for her to go back
for.
She was lucky to be contacted by Dr. Kiertisin
Dharmsathaphorn, at the University of California, San Diego, who offered
her a research faculty position in his lab. It was at that time that Dr.
Barrett was given an opportunity to apply her immunological work to a
physiological problem: working on interactions of immune cells with the
transport functions of the intestinal epithelium. After that, she’s never
looked back.
Getting Her Own Lab
After a year or two working in that lab, Dr. Barrett
was able to get her own NIH grant and was transferred to the regular
faculty. Eventually she gained her own lab and research group. At that
point she also had the chance to teach physiology to medical students, a
responsibility that remains one of the highlights of her job today. Dr.
Barrett is currently Professor of Medicine and Vice-Chair for Research in
the Department of Medicine at UCSD School of Medicine.
When she first decided on a career in academia
shortly after arriving at college, Dr. Barrett liked the idea of both
developing and sharing new knowledge. She thought it would result in
making her life incredibly varied. She has not been disappointed. What she
could not have known at the time was how much she would appreciate the
fact that no two days are the same, and that she has considerable autonomy
in her work.
She also loves having the chance to contribute to the
administration and direction of both her university, and
national/international organizations like the APS. Finally, while Dr.
Barrett is not medically trained, she has been fortunate to build her
career in a clinical department where she is constantly challenged to make
sure that the research she conducts is important and relevant to
patients.
Everyday Life
Dr. Barrett’s job consists of overseeing the research
in her lab (mostly a case of staying out of the way of her talented
students and postdocs), writing and reviewing papers, and writing the
grants she needs to keep everything going. She also teaches GI physiology
to medical and graduate students and devotes considerable energies to
committee work and other administrative tasks.
In the coming academic year, she will be Chair of the
Health Sciences Faculty, which will bring her right to the center of
decision making for the School of Medicine. Dr. Barrett also spent a last
year or so as the Interim Chief for her Division while a search for a
permanent chief was underway. She was primarily responsible for academic
affairs but learned a huge amount about the business side of running a
clinical enterprise.
Dr. Barrett has also been privileged to serve a
number of national and international bodies, including the APS. For the
APS, she recently completed a term on the Council and became Chair of the
Publications Committee in 2005.
Finally, she’s just completed a GI physiology
textbook – she looks forward to seeing it in print soon!
Research
Dr. Barrett’s lab works on the cells that line the
intestine, known as epithelial cells. These cells are a critical interface
between the body and the outside world and cover an immense surface area.
They must simultaneously keep out harmful pathogens and toxins, while
allowing the uptake of beneficial substances such as nutrients. The lab
specifically studies how these cells can transport salt and water into and
out of the intestine and the ways in which their barrier function is
controlled. They are particularly interested in the interaction of
epithelial cells with both harmful bacteria and beneficial commensal
bacteria or probiotics that may protect the intestine from harm. They also
know that the transport and barrier functions of the intestine are
disturbed in specific disease states, such as diarrheal diseases,
inflammatory bowel diseases, peptic ulcer disease, and cystic fibrosis. By
understanding the basic mechanisms that control epithelial properties, Dr.
Barrett hopes they might ultimately be able to identify targets that would
be useful to develop new therapies for these conditions.
Away From Work
Dr. Barrett is committed to furthering the outlook
for women in science, and spent a term as a member of the local chapter of
Association for Women in Science (AWIS) as well as speaking at their
conventions. Likewise, she has served as a mentor for junior faculty at
UCSD, as well as students across the country through mentoring programs.
She has also been active in the local chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis
Foundation of America, including fundraising and patient outreach.
Dr. Barrett’s biggest form of relaxation is cooking,
either just for her husband and herself or for groups of friends. They
recently moved back into a house that they had been remodeling for a year,
and part of the project included her dream kitchen – she just loves to
cook in it.
She also loves spending time with her family,
although they are all rather far away and she can’t do as much of that as
she’d like. She has two sisters, a brother, and six nieces and nephews, as
well as a godson back in the UK.
Her other interests include film (her tastes tend to
the quirky and foreign), the theatre, and music from opera to rock.
Finally, she loves to travel, whether it is for work or fun. Her husband
and she made an amazing trip to Australia and New Zealand last year, and
they’re having fun trying to decide where to go next.
Advice for Graduate
Students
Pay attention to the intangibles when selecting a
thesis advisor – it’s a relationship not too far from a marriage. Don’t be
dazzled by big names/impressive accomplishments when you know in your
heart that your style/needs don’t mesh with the lab. Check out the other
students and post docs – are they happy? Get as much training in modern
molecular methods as you can – successful scientists are those who can
apply a range of approaches to their questions. Above all, have fun, and
keep some balance and perspective in your life.
Recent Publications
1. Uribe, J.M., D.F. McCole, and K.E. Barrett.
Interferon ( activates the EGF receptor and increases
TGF" in T84
cells: implications for chloride secretion.
Am.
J. Physiol. GI Liver Physiol. 283: G923-G931, 2002.
2. Keely, S.J., and K.E. Barrett. p38 mitogen-activated
protein kinase inhibits calcium-dependent chloride secretion in T84
colonic epithelial cells.
Am.
J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 284: C339-C348, 2003.
3. Tuo, B-G., J.Y.C. Chow, K. E. Barrett, and J.I.
Isenberg. Protein kinase C potentiates cAMP-stimulated mouse duodenal
mucosal bicarbonate secretion examined in vitro.
Am.
J. Physiol GI Liver Physiol. 286: G814-G821, 2004.
4. Rao, S.P., Z. Sellers, D.L. Crombie, D.L. Hogan,
E.A. Mann, D. Childs, S. Keely, M. Sheil-Puopolo, R.A. Giannella, K.E.
Barrett, J.I. Isenberg, and V.S. Pratha. A role for guanylate cyclase C
(GC-C) in acid-stimulated duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion.
Am. J.
Physiol. GI Liver Physiol. 286: G95-G101, 2004.
5. Tuo, B-G., P. Paulus, Z. Sellers,
K.E. Barrett, and J.I. Isenberg. 5-HT induces duodenal mucosal
bicarbonate secretion via cAMP-and Ca2+-dependent signaling
pathways and 5-HT4 in mice.
Am.
J. Physiol. GI Liver Physiol. 286: G444-G451, 2004.
6. Dwinell, M.B., H. Ogawa, K.E. Barrett and M.F.
Kagnoff. Stromal cell-derived factor-1/CXCL12 regulates cyclic AMP
production and ion transport in intestinal epithelial cells via CXCR4.
Am.
J. Physiol. GI Liver Physiol. 286: G844-G850, 2004.
7. Bertelsen, L.S., L. Eckmann, and K.E. Barrett.
Prolonged interferon-(
exposure decreases ion transport, NKCC-1 and Na+, K+
ATPase expression in human intestinal xenografts in vivo.
Am.
J. Physiol. GI Liver Physiol. 286: G157-G165, 2004.
8. Bertelsen, L.S. G. Paesold, S.L. Marcus, B.B.
Finlay, L. Eckmann, and K.E. Barrett. Modulation of chloride secretory
responses of intestinal epithelial cells by the Salmonella effector
protein SigD.
Am.
J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 287: C939-C948, 2004.
9. Resta-Lenert, S., J.
Smitham and K.E. Barrett: Epithelial dysfunction associated with the
development of colitis in conventionally-housed mdr1a -/- mice.
Am.
J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 289: G153-G162, 2005.
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