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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 PhysiologyBeing 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 TrueSue 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, Dr. Barman has been there for 35 years and still counting. 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 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. Dr. Barman 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. A few other Awards have also come her way. Dr. Barman was the recipient of the 2003 Outstanding University Woman faculty Award presented by the Faculty Professional Women’s Association of MSU. In 2009 she received the MSU College of Human Medicine Distinguished Faculty Award based on exceptional scholarship, teaching, and service. Even after so many years of being an integrative physiologist, Dr. Barman 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, She 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, graduate, and undergraduate students at MSU and maintaining a funded research program, Dr. Barman enjoys many of the other aspects of her career. She has served on several 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. She is an active member of the APS, including having been Chair of the Women in Physiology Committee, Central Nervous System Section Steering Committee, and Section Advisory Committee. She also was elected to serve on the APS Council. With these activities, she has been able to work with the Society to help make Physiology a career of choice for others. Dr. Barman is also a co-author on the 23rd edition of Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology, one of the pre-eminent medical physiology textbooks. Among the fringe benefits of being a research scientist, one is given opportunities to travel to present research findings to other scientists. Dr. Barman 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 InterestsDr. Barman loves to exercise. She gets up at 5:00 a.m. daily to do aerobics, and she often does water aerobics in the afternoon. She loves to walk, and does 5K Run/Walks for charity. She visits local schools to talk about a career in science and has worked at local events to talk about science such as “Science Day at the Mall.” She likes doing crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles to relax, as well as reading books. She also loves to spoil her nieces and nephews! Dr. Barman has a dream to someday have a home that looks over Lake Michigan so that when she retires she can walk every day on the sandy beaches. Recent Publications
3. Orer HS, Gebber GL, and Barman SM. Role of serotonergic input to the ventrolateral medulla in expression of the 10-Hz sympathetic nerve rhythm. Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol 294: R1435-1444, 2008. 4. Barman SM and Gebber GL. Role of the ventrolateral medulla in generating the 10-Hz rhythm in sympathetic nerve discharge. Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol 293: R223-233, 2007. 5. Gebber GL, Orer HS, and Barman SM. Fractal noises and motions in time
series of presympathetic and sympathetic neural activities.
J Neurophysiol 95: 1176-1184, 2006. 7. Phillips SW, Gebber GL, and Barman SM. Medullary lateral tegmental
field: Control of respiratory rate and vagal lung inflation afferent
influences on sympathetic nerve discharge.
Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol 288: R1396-R1410, 2005.
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