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Irving Zucker was born in New York City, in the Bronx. His elementary through high school education was through the public school system in New York. As a young student he was always interested in science and biology in general. Questions would pop into his mind such as, “How did I move my arm?” or “How does my heart know to beat faster when I am running?” These questions plus the fact that he had relatives who were medical doctors convinced him to pursue a career in science.

New York is the Only Place to Live
Being from New York and from a middle-income family, Irv didn’t even think about leaving the City to go to college. After graduating from high school, he chose to go to New York University, a good private university where he could obtain a liberal arts education. Unfortunately, New York University was quite expensive. So, after the first year, he decided to switch to The City College of New York, a public, well-respected university, where the tuition was free then (1961).

Choosing What to Study
At that time, Irv thought that maybe medicine was what he should do. He had an uncle who was a physician and had a great influence on Irv in this regard. On the other hand, Irv felt that his personality was not well suited to dealing with patients, with long hours on call, and with a job where there were so many unknowns and frustrations.

The basis for most medical practice then was rooted in the physiological sciences. It was clear to Irv that the answers for many of his questions could only come from doing experiments in the laboratory. It would only be after experiments were designed using the scientific method and after the interpretation of those experimental results that a true understanding of physiological process would happen. To Irv, doing scientific research became a more intriguing career path than medical practice. Of all the fields in biology, physiology clearly held the promise of answers to the questions he wanted to ask.

Learning All About Physiology
Irv’s career path to becoming a researcher was fairly straight forward. After he graduated from college, he enrolled in a Ph.D. program at New York Medical College in the Department of Physiology. There he worked under the direction of Dr. Gabor Kaley, who is still Chair of that department today. Irv’s research related to the central control of sodium excretion and volume regulation. This was a fortunate choice of topics for Irv, because it made him have to learn about a variety of areas. These included physiology of the kidneys (renal physiology), of the nerves and brain (neurophysiology), and of the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular physiology).

Based on his interactions with other faculty in his department, Irv became interested in the way the cardiovascular system “sensed” blood pressure and blood volume. This required that he learn new neurophysiological techniques so that he could better understand the neural receptors involved in the cardiovascular system.

Needing to know more about what regulates volume led Irv to the work and laboratory of Dr. Joseph P. Gilmore, who was a professor at the University of Virginia. While Irv was busy finishing his Ph.D., Dr. Gilmore moved and became Chair of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine.

A Short Stay in Nebraska . . .
After Irv obtained his Ph.D., he decided to get another 2 years of research training (called a postdoctoral fellowship) in Dr. Gilmore’s laboratory. Dr. Zucker and his wife decided that 2 years in Omaha would not be so bad. So they packed their belongings in their 1968 Volvo and headed across the country.

This was a highly productive and enjoyable time for both of them. It gave Dr. Zucker the opportunity to carry out what he thought were critical experiments to understand how the sensory endings of the nerves worked in both normal and disease states. It also gave him the opportunity to teach and interact with medical, dental, and nursing students in both the classroom and laboratory.

. . . Turns into a Life
As luck would have it, as the 2 years were up, Dr. Zucker was offered a job in the department. The rest is history. He moved up the ranks and in 1983 was promoted to full professor. In 1989, Dr. Gilmore decided to retire, and Dr. Zucker was asked to take his place and become Chair of the department.

Research on Nerves and Disease
As a researcher, Dr. Zucker supervises a laboratory consisting of two postdoctoral fellows, one visiting professor, and four technicians. The research in his lab revolves around trying to understand what regulates certain kinds of nerve activity in diseases like heart failure, hypertension (high blood pressure), and diabetes. They are interested in discovering what substances in the brain are responsible for abnormal nerve activity in these disease states.

Being Chair
As Chair, Dr. Zucker oversees an office staff and a budget for the department of over $4 million. He has to make sure that the department’s various classes meet the requirements of the State of Nebraska and the medical school.

He tries to provide good leadership to 12 faculty, encouraging them in their teaching, research, and professional development. Even though these duties are challenging, Dr. Zucker finds that they bring him a lot of satisfaction.

Other Jobs
Dr. Zucker also has worked as a volunteer for many professional organizations, like The American Physiological Society (APS), the American Heart Association, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Association of Chairs of Departments of Physiology (ACDP). He has been asked to be on many different committees for APS. This past year, he was elected by all the members of APS to be on the Council and help run the Society.

He was also elected to the Council of the ACDP and in 2003 he was elected to be their President.

Seeing the World
Being a scientist has brought Dr. Zucker much joy beyond his successful research career. There are many parts to the job that allow him to have a rich cultural and social lifestyle. He enjoys traveling, seeing different areas of the world, meeting people from those areas, and seeing how they live and work. Meeting and talking with other scientists in those different parts of the world have been great opportunities as well.

Away From the Lab
Dr. Zucker loves music, good food, and socialization. He loves to cook, which for a scientist is much like being in the laboratory. He also loves theater.

Above everything, the interaction with his family sustains both his professional and non-professional life. When his children were younger and in elementary and high school, he loved to go to their schools and talk about what it was like to be a scientist and do research.

Advice for a High School Student
My advice to a high school student would be to keep all options open upon entry into college. Obtain a liberal arts education with emphasis in the physical and life sciences. Learn what you don’t know. Go in the direction you feel will be most satisfying. Ask questions!