{"582904":{"#nid":"582904","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Meet College of Sciences Alumna Mary Beth Brown, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/shrs.iupui.edu\/faculty-research\/directory\/physical-therapy\/brown-mary-beth.html\u0022\u003EMary Beth Brown\u003C\/a\u003E came to Georgia Tech to do research in Applied Physiology. She attended the School of Applied Physiology and received a Ph.D. in 2009. The school is now the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biosci.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E after a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/547851\u0022\u003Ereorganization in July 2016\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBefore Georgia Tech, Brown attended \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.stpetehigh.com\u0022\u003ESt. Petersburg High School\u003C\/a\u003E, in St. Petersburg, Florida. She received a B.A. in Exercise Science from \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.lr.edu\/\u0022\u003ELenoir-Rhyne University\u003C\/a\u003E, in North Carolina, and an M.S. in Physical Therapy from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/welcome.miami.edu\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of Miami\u003C\/a\u003E, in Florida. She practiced as a physical therapist for almost 10 \u0026nbsp;years prior to returning to school to pursue her Ph.D.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter completing her Ph.D., Brown took a postdoctoral fellowship at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/medicine.iu.edu\/\u0022\u003EIndiana University School of Medicine\u003C\/a\u003E, in Indianapolis, where she currently lives. Brown is now an assistant professor of physical therapy in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/shrs.iupui.edu\/about\/index.html\u0022\u003ESchool of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Indiana University\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat attracted you to study in Georgia Tech? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Applied Physiology program and the opportunity to be under the guidance of Dr. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ap.gatech.edu\/Millard-stafford\/\u0022\u003EMindy Millard-Stafford\u003C\/a\u003E in her \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ap.gatech.edu\/Millard-stafford\/ExercisePhysiologyLab.php\u0022\u003EExercise Physiology Lab\u003C\/a\u003E seemed like a good fit for my interests and background. Being in downtown Atlanta was exciting.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech, \u0026nbsp;the Applied Physiology program, and its faculty met my expectations. Most importantly, I learned how to be a good researcher. As a Ph.D. student, that\u0026rsquo;s what I came to learn.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is a vivid memory of your time at Georgia Tech? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGetting to deliver my Ph.D. dissertation presentation after four+ years of work on my topic was one of the biggest thrills of my life, and highly gratifying.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you get to your current position? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI took a postdoctoral fellowship position at Indiana University School of Medicine after completing my Ph.D. at Georgia Tech. Then a research tenure-track faculty position opened up in Indiana University, in the Physical Therapy department, where I wanted to be. It worked out perfectly. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat roles did your Georgia Tech education and experience play in your journey to your current position? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI had tremendous education in research. Much of this was out of the classroom. But the foundation was laid in the classroom. Also, my Ph.D. program\u0026rsquo;s willingness to support and encourage the collaboration I wanted to do with \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/med.emory.edu\/index.html\u0022\u003EEmory School of Medicine\u003C\/a\u003E permitted me to pursue my research question with greater breadth and depth, and that took it from being good to great. More importantly, it helped me fill my investigator tool box with many more tools to which I may not have had exposure otherwise.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhich professor(s) or class(es) made a big impact on your career path? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI teach physiology now, so my physiology courses at Georgia Tech (Systems Physiology I, II, and III) made a big impact. I particularly was influenced by Dr. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ap.gatech.edu\/Burkholder\/\u0022\u003ETom Burkholder\u003C\/a\u003E, who taught \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ap.gatech.edu\/Burkholder\/6211\/\u0022\u003Ethe first of these courses\u003C\/a\u003E, as well as an outstanding muscle physiology course. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother course that was also impactful was Foundations in Molecular and Cell Biology, BIOL 7001. It was invented and directed by Dr. \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/antibiotics.emory.edu\/faculty\/mccarty-nael.html\u0022\u003ENael McCarty\u003C\/a\u003E, with contributions from many guest lecturing principal investigators from the School of Biology (now also the School of Biological Sciences). That class was one of the most challenging of my time at Georga Tech, but probably influenced my career path more than any other class, in a positive way.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you like most about your current job? The least? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe most: working with students in my lab. The least: faculty meetings.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat has been the greatest challenge in your professional life so far?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELearning to accept rejection is probably the greatest challenge, and it is not just a one-time event. It happens repeatedly as a researcher. Rejected grant applications, rejected manuscripts\u0026mdash;it is hard in the beginning, and this is where more senior colleagues are helpful to provide perspective.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI have learned that it helps to take a LOT of shots at the goal. Rejections are common, even for good products. The trick is to keep submitting, keep learning from them, and keep evolving.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat has been the most gratifying experience of your professional career so far?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe most gratifying so far was my first NIH funding award, last year. It gave me the confidence to keep at it, even when things seemed to be going every way except my way in my research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe second most gratifying was this year when I came back and gave a research talk at Georgia Tech to my former professors and current and past students of the School of Applied Physiology. It was not just an honor; it was gratifying in that I felt like it was a true, from-the-heart \u0026lsquo;thank you\u0026rsquo; to them from me for the important role they played in my career path.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could have taken an alternative career path, what would you be doing instead?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENothing!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOkay, maybe a professional surfer. I can\u0026rsquo;t even surf, never tried, but those women look so cool and so fearless.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice would you give to incoming first-year students at Georgia Tech?\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo first-year Ph.D. students at Tech, I\u0026rsquo;d say be open-minded to immense possibilities. This can happen only if you get out of your comfort zone. When constructing your research projects, do not propose to study what you already know. Make sure your proposal really stretches you.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u0026rsquo;s something about yourself that\u0026rsquo;s not obvious to your colleagues?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI work as hard in my recreational sports endeavors as I do with my professional endeavors, and that\u0026rsquo;s because I am competitive probably to a fault. There is no just-for-fun race. I\u0026rsquo;ve taken to long, solo, endurance events (open-water swimming, marathons, ultra-distance triathlons), probably because these activities keep me from being too hard on anyone but myself.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could have dinner with any person from history, whom would you invite?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biography.com\/people\/hatshepsut-9331094\u0022\u003EHatshepsut\u003C\/a\u003E, the woman who ruled Egypt as pharaoh starting around 1478 BC. She was feminism before feminism was even a thing. In this election year, when we are witnessing history with our first female presidential candidate, I am in complete disbelief that it has taken this long for this day to arrive. I\u0026rsquo;d like to ask Hatshepsut if she has any ideas about why this is so.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Advice to students:  Be open-minded to immense possibilities"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/shrs.iupui.edu\/faculty-research\/directory\/physical-therapy\/brown-mary-beth.html\u0022\u003EMary Beth Brown\u003C\/a\u003E came to Georgia Tech to do research in Applied Physiology. She attended the School of Applied Physiology and received a Ph.D. in 2009. The school is now the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.biosci.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E after a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cos.gatech.edu\/hg\/item\/547851\u0022\u003Ereorganization in July 2016\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Mary Beth Brown came to Georgia Tech to do research in Applied Physiology. She attended the School of Applied Physiology and received a Ph.D. in 2009. The school is now the School of Biological Sciences after a reorganization in July 2016."}],"uid":"32896","created_gmt":"2016-10-21 02:32:54","changed_gmt":"2016-10-25 14:34:58","author":"Matt Barr","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-10-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-10-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"582903":{"id":"582903","type":"image","title":"Mary Beth Brown","body":null,"created":"1477017043","gmt_created":"2016-10-21 02:30:43","changed":"1477017043","gmt_changed":"2016-10-21 02:30:43","alt":"","file":{"fid":"222201","name":"Brown.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Brown.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Brown.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":44162,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Brown.jpg?itok=tpR4Oams"}}},"media_ids":["582903"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"172534","name":"Mary Beth Brown"},{"id":"172535","name":"Indiana University"},{"id":"506","name":"alumni"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA. Maureen Rouhi\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDirector of Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["maureen.rouhi@cos.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}