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Who is Barry Peterson? Changing Careers Late in Life
Barry Peterson and his twin brother were born in Teaneck, NJ on August 22, 1948. His father was a mechanical engineer and so it wasn’t surprising that Barry found science and math easier than reading and writing In college Barry majored in physics rather than math, because physics was most like math but it required only one year of German, whereas math majors had to take two years of German. (When he was in Berlin last year trying to order a meal, he wondered then if he hadn’t made a mistake at this early stage in his career!) SchoolAlthough Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was not his first choice, Barry attended RPI because they gave him a scholarship (most likely because his father went there). To this day, he says that his classmates at RPI were the brightest (although not the most socially astute) people he’s ever known. This did not help his grade point average but it had a life-long benefit because he learned that he could compete with the brightest people and survive. Barry received his Bachelor in Science in physics from RPI in 1970, the same year they instituted the lottery for the military draft. Lottery numbers were assigned by birth dates. His came up 336, so it was clear that he would not be drafted. (His twin brother, who did not go to college, was drafted before the lottery was instituted so he was already in Vietnam. Fortunately he made it home safely). Without the draft hanging over Barry’s head, he was free to attend graduate school in physics at the University of Connecticut. Graduate physics was getting a little too theoretical for him so Barry started looking for related programs having to do with the application of physics to real problems. He found the Biophysics program at the University of Rochester, so he went there after getting a Masters in Science in Physics from Connecticut in 1972. One of the professors at Rochester needed a graduate student to help with his studies in respiratory physiology. He had a fancy new mass spectrometer that wasn’t working, so he figured that Barry’s background in physics would be helpful. Thus began Barry’s career in physiology! Barry stayed for an extra year in Rochester after getting his PhD in Biophysics in 1977. He then spent two more years as a postdoctoral fellow in pulmonary medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. First JobAfter his postdoctoral training, Dr. Peterson returned to the University of Rochester for 4 years as an Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine and then went to the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler to continue his research in acute lung injury for the next 16 years. During that time he called himself a physiologist, but his best work was in the development of methods for making physiological measurements.
Changing Careers
Part of the formal interview process involved giving a seminar on his research. It wasn’t until he was preparing for that seminar that Dr. Peterson realized what the focus of his past research had been. Because the Pfizer job involved technology development, he decided to review his work from that viewpoint and was surprised to see a pattern in his studies that he had not seen before. He got the job in December 1999 and was named Associate Director of Clinical Technology at Pfizer Global Research and Development. Dr. Peterson’s group has the job of identifying and developing new technologies that would help in the drug development process. The job is a delightful, fortuitous, and surprising combination of almost everything he had done prior to starting at Pfizer. The job makes use of his background in physics, his work with the human subjects review board for clinical trials, his experience in the development of pulmonary (and other) technologies, and his experience directing academic research. The biggest differences he has seen between his previous academic work and his current pharmaceutical work is that he no longer has to apply for research funds, but he does have to be much more careful about confidentiality. However, he can say that he is working with a variety of universities and companies to develop new imaging methods for measuring the effects of experimental compounds on lung diseases. He is also currently directing a dozen studies in the United States and Europe. He particularly enjoys the opportunity to travel to the UK, France, and Sweden regularly to work with his scientific colleagues there (all of whom speak terrific English—fortunately). Outside InterestsNow that someone else is paying Dr. Peterson to travel, he has taken quite an interest in it. He also hopes to learn to speak French. At home he enjoys woodworking and tennis with his daughter, but there is currently very little time for either of those activities. In his past career in Texas, Dr. Peterson was also very active in supporting K-12 science and math teachers in the East Texas area—but that’s another story. AdviceDr. Peterson recommends that postdoctoral fellows in physiology explore career options other than just academic postdoctoral positions. While a career in academia can be an excellent choice, there is a strong tendency to never make the choice and just follow in the steps of your professors. There are many other options open to well-trained physiologists who have learned how to keep on learning their entire lives.
Publications
2. Peterson, B.T. Permeability: Theory vs. practice in lung research. Invited review for Am. J. Physiology. 262 (Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 6): L243-L256, 1992. 3. Peterson, B.T., and R. Tate. Albumin fraction and measurement of total protein concentration. Am. J. Physiol. - Heart and Circulatory Physiology 33: H1723-H1726, 1993. 4. Peterson, B.T., D.E. Griffith, J.C. Connelly, and R. Tate. Differential effects of salmeterol on lung endothelial and epithelial leakage in sheep., J. Appl. Physiol. 80: 1666-1673, 1996. 5. Peterson, B.T., E.J. Miller, D.E. Griffith, R. Rowjee, and P. McWaters. Modulation by pentobarbital of neutrophil responses to E. Coli endotoxins in sheep: role of lung epithelium. European Resp. J. 16: 697-703, 2000.
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