Who is Barb Goodman?
From Research to Education
Barbara Jane Eason Goodman was born in Hanover, NH.
Her family moved to North Carolina when she was little and she grew up
there. Even as a child, she was always interested in pets and learning
about all sorts of things. In fact, she was pre-medicine from the time she
was in third grade all through college. She got her first chemistry set in
6th grade. She got a microscope and telescope in 7th grade but really
liked the chemistry set better than the others!
Barb took many science classes because she knew
science would be necessary for her professional career and also because
she just liked science. She tried to take as much science and math as
possible in high school.
When it came time for Barb to go to college, she
chose to go to Duke University in North Carolina. She chose it because she
knew that it was a very good school academically and that it trained both
premedical students and science majors well. In addition, it was close to
home and also was affiliated with the Methodist Church to which she
belongs.
Choosing Physiology over Medicine
During college, Barb was still sure she would become
either a doctor or a veterinarian. That meant lots more science classes.
After getting a chemistry degree in 1972, Barb tried for 4 years to get
into veterinary school. She first stayed in the South, going to
Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, AL for 2 years, and then
moving to Auburn University in Auburn, AL for a year. While at those
schools, she took a lot of biology courses. It was then that she took her
first physiology class. It was that class that made her sure that she was
much more interested in finding out WHY THINGS HAPPEN than in being a
doctor or veterinarian. That was when she changed her mind and decided to
become a physiologist. She had to decide which school to go to for her
training to be a physiologist. Finally, she ended up going far north to
the University of Minnesota to get her degree. Once again, she was sure
she knew what she wanted to do with her life. She would be a college
teacher and to do research like her adviser, Dr. Doug Wangensteen. He was
a great teacher, friend, and researcher and provided her with a wonderful
role model.
After finishing her Ph.D. degree in 1981, Dr. Goodman
went to the University of California in Los Angeles to do her postdoctoral
research. In 1983, she started working there as an Assistant Researcher
Professor in the Department of Medicine and as an Assistant Clinical
Professor in the School of Nursing. A couple years later she began
applying for faculty positions around the country where she could have her
own lab.
Dr. Goodman was hired by the University of South
Dakota School of Medicine. She began her career there doing research on
the lungs. Specifically she studied sodium and water transport in the
lungs. In addition, she taught physiology to undergraduate and medical
students. She was also responsible for teaching graduate students the
fundamentals of teaching.
Changing Career Paths Again
As Dr. Goodman worked in the job she’d wanted for
years, she found out that she liked teaching and working with students of
all ages to help them become excited about science in addition to doing
research. That reminded her that in high school she had vowed that if she
ever did become a teacher, she would be a good teacher like her high
school biology teacher Ms. Hubbard.
Dr. Goodman wanted to learn more about working in
science education and so she began volunteering with APS in its many
activities with teachers and students at a variety of grade levels. She
worked for many years with APS and became very well known by other
physiologists. As a result, she first was asked to serve on the Education
Committee and then to be its Chair. In that position she helped to expand
the educational activities of APS into new avenues.
Dr. Goodman is now a full professor of physiology at the Sanford School
of Medicine of the University of South Dakota. In her current position
she spends 50% of her time as Director of the SD Biomedical Research
Infrastructure Network program for all of South Dakota (building
biomedical research throughout SD through partnerships with
predominantly undergraduate institutions and tribal colleges), 30% as a
teacher of students from future elementary teachers to graduate and
medical students, and 20% for scholarship in teaching and explaining
physiological concepts to others.
Away From Work
Now that her children are all grown up and moved out
of the house, Dr. Goodman and her husband (a math teacher) have time to
travel and see new places. She has been to South America and the Galapagos
Islands to see the wonderful birds and animals. She has also been to New
Zealand to attend an international meeting for physiology educators and to
Alaska on a cruise with lots of natural history and wildlife.
She has lots of animals of her own and loves to take
care of her horses, dogs, fish, and cats. She is very active in
her church and helps out doing anything they need her to do. She also
likes to read books. She is currently reading lots of different
mysteries.
Dr. Goodman travels to many meetings. She enjoys
being in charge of programs and activities for a variety of groups. As a
result, she is currently President of the Community Day Care Center in her
town. She also volunteers as scientist-in-residence for the local school
district. Her latest role is to write grants asking for money from various
places to help support different educational programs. In all she does,
she tries to make sure that other people have opportunities for
improvement (more money, more education, more support).
Advice for Graduate Students
Don't forget to learn how to teach while you are
learning specific areas of physiology. You need to understand and use the
big picture approach to physiology.
Recent Publications
- Goodman, Barbara E.
Transport of Small Molecules Across Cell Membranes: Water Channels and
Urea Transporters.
Advan.
Physiol. Educ. 26:146-157, 2002.
- Goodman, B.E., D.S. Martin,
and J.L. Williams. Teaching Human Cardiovascular and Respiratory
Physiology with the Station Method.
Advan.
Physiol. Educ. 26: 50-56, 2002.
- Goodman, B.E. Evolution of a Partnership to Improve K-16
Science Education.
Advan. Physiol. Educ. 26:168-173, 2002.
- Goodman, Barbara E. and William H. Percy. CFTR in Cystic Fibrosis
and Cholera: From Membrane Transport to Clinical Practice.
Advances in Physiology Education 29: 75-82, 2005.
- Goodman, Barbara E. Membrane Transport in Cystic Fibrosis.
US Respiratory Disease 2006: 44-45, July 2006.
- Goodman, Barbara E. Channels active in the excitability of nerves
and skeletal muscles across the neuromuscular junction: basic function
and pathophysiology.
Advances in Physiology Education 32:127-135, 2008.
- Goodman, Barbara E.
Pulmonary and Renal Pressure-Flow Relationships: What Should Be Taught?
Advan.
Physiol. Educ. 25:15-28, 2001.
- Goodman, B.E. and S.
Schempp. Physiology of Exercise, An Inquiry-Based Science Module for
Middle School Students, American Physiological Society, 1999. (available
on the APS web site at
www.phunweek.org/pdfs/E-PhysOfExercise_MS.pdf)
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