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Who is Thomas Herzig?

 

Tom Herzig was born in Houston, Texas, on December 20, 1962. During high school he got interested in science. The school he went to had great math and science courses and, most importantly, good teachers who knew how to teach science so that students wanted to learn more. Once he learned about science and then worked in a laboratory, he knew that was what he wanted to do for his career.

Research Wins Out Over Medicine
Tom went to college and studied biology at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. He decided on that college because it was known for training the best students in the sciences. Tom thought then that he wanted to be a doctor and Southwestern University had a great record for its students going to medical school. While in college, Tom took several courses and laboratories that were on physiology or how the body works. He also got the chance to think of some experiments and actually get to do them in a laboratory. He graduated in 1984 and got a job working in a laboratory. He really liked doing research and especially his own research and so he decided that he would go back to school to study physiology rather than go to medical school. Tom then went to the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas to get a PhD or doctoral degree. While he was there he mostly studied physiology, although his degree was not in physiology but in pharmacology (the study of drugs and how they work).

Joining the Military
Dr. Herzig continued studying physiology and doing research as a postdoctoral fellow (after doctoral degree). This allowed him to learn other ways to do his research and to begin working out what research he would do in the future. Many postdoctoral fellows then find jobs at universities where they teach college students and do research. When Dr. Herzig was looking for his job, the US Navy came to see him about working for them as an officer doing research instead of working at a university. Because he was interested in studying problems that deal more with exercise and how the body responds to different environments (applied research), he decided to join the Navy. Lt. Herzig does many of the same things Dr. Herzig at a university would have done, like research, teach students, and serve on committees. However, because he is in the Navy, he also does things that are very different.

Dr. Herzig became an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, which trains students to become military doctors. In that position, his time was divided among teaching, starting new courses, research, and other duties, like committees and traveling overseas to meetings. He also was asked to serve the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Research and Technology Organization as the Executive Secretary for their group that studies injuries that come about because of radiation.

He recently moved to the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory, which has three main areas of research: 1) submarine medical and survival systems, which deals with escape and rescue, as well as on board medical issues; 2) diving and environmental simulation, which is involved in underwater acoustics; and 3) human performance, which is studying ways to improve the performance of submariners. 

Lt. Herzig believes that he made the right decision for himself by joining the US Navy. He also thinks it could be the right decision for many others who like himself are interested in doing research on applied physiology. 

Human Performance Research
The research that Dr. Herzig does involves studying how the heart responds to exercise. His laboratory looks at what effect vitamins or other additions to a person’s diet have on how well they perform an activity, such as swimming or running. He also studies whether the what you drink (water vs. Gatorade) makes a difference in how well you swim.

In addition to his research, Dr. Herzig also teaches medical students. He is also busy helping to start a new program for students who want to study applied human biology.

Dr. Herzig continues to study himself. Right now he is studying for a Masters degree in Project Management at George Washington University in Washington, DC. 

A Varied Life
On his own time, Tom enjoys golf as a favorite hobby, along with running and cycling. Aside from sports, he also enjoys going to the symphony and the opera and visiting various art museums. One reason he likes his job so much is that he gets to travel overseas a lot. Whenever he travels, Tom tries to use that time to learn more about the history, buildings, and culture of other people.

Advice for Students
Dr. Herzig says that he would tell any student interested in science to try to find people already doing research and ask them about it. Learn as much as you can in school so that when you have an opportunity to actually visit a laboratory or work in one over a summer break, you will better understand why the research is being done.