Meet Tina M. Bayuse, Pharm.D.
Clinical Pharmacist
Johnson Space Center
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Like me, you can achieve what you
set out to do with some hard work and determination. I saw a quote on
a Post-It Note once, and I have taken it as my anthem:
"Dream to touch the stars,
live to touch your dreams."
Who am I and What do I do
A career in pharmacy can be much more than standing
behind a counter and filling prescriptions at your local drug store.
I work for a company called Wyle Laboratories, at
JSC. I am the clinical pharmacist for NASA. My job is divided between
working with the Pharmacology Lab and Medical Operations. In the Pharmacology
Lab, I help other scientists study how medications affect the body, both
in space and on the ground. The medical operations part of my job is a
little different. One thing that I do is help the flight surgeons (the
astronauts' doctors) decide what medications the astronauts should use
while they are in space. I am also the person who packs the medical kits
that fly on the space shuttle and International Space Station. Finally,
I spend part of everyday working in the Flight Medicine Clinic as a dispensing
pharmacist. Here, I provide the astronauts and their families everything
they might need from a pharmacist.
In order to do this kind of work, you need to go to
pharmacy school and become a licensed pharmacist. It also helps to have
an understanding of space medicine because just as your body has an affect
on the drugs you take on the ground, we are learning that your body may
affect drugs differently in the microgravity astronauts experience in
space.
Career Journey
I went to college at the State University of New York
at Buffalo. For the first year and a half, I majored in physics, but I
then changed my major to biology. It was during my sophomore year in college
that I first became interested in the profession of pharmacy. I was working
at a local pharmacy in my hometown of Orchard Park, NY, as a clerk. I
found it quite interesting to see patients come into the pharmacy to get
their medications. I was particularly fascinated in listening to the pharmacist
counsel the patients on their medications, in order to help them better
understand what their doctor prescribed. I enjoyed watching the patient's
facial expressions as what the pharmacist explained to them became clear.
I decided that I wanted to be able to help people like that, too.
I never graduated from SUNY at Buffalo because I was
accepted into the University of Maryland Doctor of Pharmacy program after
my fourth year of college. To be eligible for pharmacy school, you do
not need to graduate from college. However, there are some college classes,
called prerequisites, that need to be taken first. Some people are able
to complete all of these classes in just two years of college.
That's how I got into pharmacy. How I got to NASA
is another story.
As far back as I can remember I have wanted to be
an astronaut. When I was eight years old, I wrote a letter to NASA offering
to be the first kid in space. They did not take me up on this offer, but
that did not stop me. The summer before my senior year of high school,
I went to the Space Academy, like in the movie Space Camp. Later, I found
out that I would be disqualified from being an astronaut because of a
pre-existing medical condition. It made me sad to see my dreams slipping
away. Then I decided to change majors in college and apply to pharmacy
school. Once I got to pharmacy school, I learned of a possible connection
between my two passions, pharmacy and space. I decided that if I could
combine the two fields, I would have an exciting career.
The fourth and final year of pharmacy school consists
of on-the-job training called rotations or externships. The University
of Maryland called them rotations because every four weeks, the student
"rotated" to a different place. I had heard of the Pharmacology Lab at
the Johnson Space Center from another pharmacist, so I talked with the
person in charge of that lab about setting up a rotation. The person is
not a pharmacist. She is a kind of scientist called a pharmacologist.
I was the first pharmacy school student to have a rotation with the Pharmacology
Lab at the Johnson Space Center.
While on rotation, my expertise in pharmacy proved
to be of service. The profession of pharmacy is responsible for incorporating
pharmacology (the chemistry of drugs and their actions), pharmaceutics
(how drugs are made and packaged) and therapeutics (how drugs apply to
the disease or condition) into one job. Since they had no clinical pharmacist
at that time, this was something that NASA desperately needed. After I
completed my rotation, NASA decided that they needed to hire a pharmacist
to work full time. I ended up being that pharmacist. So, after taking
my pharmacy boards (which is a test that one must pass to get a pharmacy
license) I packed up my apartment in Maryland, and drove to Texas.
What I like best and least about my job
I really like the idea of having something different
to do everyday. I am lucky enough to have two very challenging parts to
my job. I spend my mornings working on research projects with the Pharmacology
Lab, where I get to use my analytical and organizational skills. Then
I get to switch gears and work with my clinical and, more often than not,
creative skills for Medical Operations and the clinic. Space Medicine
requires a different way of thinking, since what works on the ground might
not always work in space. For example, you cannot pour cough medicine
onto a spoon and take it in space, like you would if you got sick here
on Earth. It is my job to think of new ways to make sure the astronauts
stay healthy while they are in space.
Unfortunately, what I like best about my job is also
what I like the least about my job. I often feel that I do not have enough
time to devote to any one problem and it can be exhausting trying to do
too much.
Growing Up
I grew up in a little town outside of Buffalo, NY
-- Orchard Park. Even though I was a bit of a tomboy, I took dance lessons
for ten years. I particularly liked tap dancing. I also enjoyed amateur
astronomy. I went to a Catholic school until seventh grade and then transferred
into Orchard Park Middle School. I graduated from Orchard Park High School
in June of 1992. I was very active in school with student government and
drama club. I was a dancer in all of the musicals throughout middle school
and high school (six in all). I had the opportunity to be dance captain
in my last two years of high school.
My parents and my sisters still live in Buffalo. I
have two younger sisters who I love very much. We did not always get along
when we were kids, but now that we are older we are much closer. I am
especially close to my baby sister. We talk through e-mail and telephone
often even though I am a time zone away. I live in Seabrook, Texas, about
two miles from Johnson Space Center where I work.
When asked what has inspired me throughout my life
-- I would have to say my parents, particularly my dad. My dad taught
me that I could reach any goals I set for myself and that I have the ability
to make all my dreams come true.
Future plans and goals
At work, I would like to continue what I am doing
and gain more recognition for the role of pharmacy at NASA. I have a vision
to make pharmacy a necessity in Space Medicine and Life Science Research.
I would also like to teach someday. I have been involved with the Doctor
of Pharmacy students that have come through NASA on a rotation, and I
have really enjoyed teaching them about Space Pharmacy.
At home, I would like to start a family someday. I
am engaged to a man that I met in my last year of Pharmacy School. I am
convinced he is the greatest guy on Earth, after my dad. He is not a pharmacist.
We met playing softball, and we are planning to get married in my hometown
in June of 2003. We are very busy planning our wedding these days. I am
looking forward to traveling with him and buying a house, before we settle
down and have kids.
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