Alumni
Profiles of Success
Dianne Durham
Professor
University of Kansas Medical Center
B.S. Biology 1976, Purdue
From the time she was in high school, Dianne Durham had a great interest in science. However, it was not until she participated in the undergraduate Honors Program at Purdue that she really knew she wanted to pursue science as a profession. "My time as an undergraduate in the Biology department at Purdue is no doubt the single experience that has had the greatest influence on my current career as a scientist and educator," explains Dianne. "Not only were we exposed to the intellectual pursuit of science by attendance at special seminars...but the chance to work in a research lab really showed us what the day-to-day life of a scientist is all about."
Dianne became a member of Larry Pinto's lab, where she was given her own research project of devising a water-maze vision test for mice. "I learned some of the most important lessons about being a scientist in Pinto's lab, especially how to troubleshoot and change directions when one's initial approach fails," says Dianne. When the test finally succeeded, "my first real taste of scientific success clinched my decision to do this forever…I will be forever thankful that Larry Pinto took the time and trouble to include me in his lab and gave me such a good start on the road to becoming a scientist". Dianne's success in the lab earned recognition when she was awarded the Jesse R. Singleton Award for Undergraduate Research.
After earning a B.S. in Biology, Dianne went on to study at Washington University. Upon completion of a Ph.D. in neural science, she became a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Virginia Medical Center. She is now appointed as an Associate Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
In her role as Director of Research in the Otolaryngology department, she is responsible for research training for the ENT residents, as well as for facilitating the research activities of faculty members in the department. "I collaborate actively with three of the clinical faculty in the department and serve as a basic science ‘contact person' for the remainder," she says. Dianne is also a member of the national Association for Research in Otolaryngology, a premier organization dedicated to advancing research in the field.
Dianne's own research seeks to answer questions regarding the effects of deafness on the brain, and she investigates these issues by primarily studying the chicken auditory system. Her interest in studying the brain was first sparked while working in Larry Pinto's lab, where she studied the visual system. At Washington University she began studying how sensory deprivation affects brain development, and as a postdoc she worked with Ed Rubel at the University of Virginia, whose work on the effects of deafness on the chicken brain formed the basis for her current work. "Starting with my fellowship at the University of Virginia I've been working in clinical otolaryngology departments, which is a little unusual for a basic scientist with a PhD," explains Dianne. As a member of a clinical Otolaryngology department, she gets to interact with physicians, which she finds very rewarding. "The goal of our research is to alleviate human suffering," she states. "The first time I saw the reaction of a patient whose hearing was restored by a cochlear implant, I knew I'd found the right field."
Through a joint appointment in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Dianne has an appointment to the graduate faculty. She is very active in graduate programs, has been involved in student committees, in mentoring students in the lab, and in serving as a member of the Anatomy Department Graduate Committee. Her teaching duties include graduate courses in sensory biology and neuroscience, and she is course director of the first year medical student neuroscience course. In 1996 and 1997 she was awarded the Student Voice Teaching Award for her work in the medical neuroscience course. This award is presented to the faculty member in each course voted "best teacher". Most courses are team-taught by 5-20 faculty, and recipients of the award are voted on by members of the first year class.
Dianne remains active outside of the department, as well. She serves as chair of the Education Council, which is a faculty governance committee charged with overseeing the medical curriculum at KUMC, has membership on the School of Medicine Admissions and Academic committees, serves as Vice Chair of several committees designed to evaluate use of research space within the University, and previously acted as chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
A typical day for Dianne begins around 8:00 a.m. with administrative work revolving around such things as grants or committee projects. Midmorning she heads to her lab, where she meets with students and technicians to make sure everything is running well. If she isn't teaching, she can then spend some time conducting experiments, working on data analysis or on writing or editing research manuscripts or grant applications. Otherwise, she can be found with students in lectures and labs. Committee meetings are also a big part of her day, and she attends four to five a week that usually relate to teaching or research. She also attends several research seminars each week. Toward the end of the day she heads back to her office to spend time reading, working on research papers, or preparing lectures or teaching materials. Time is also set aside to collaborate with two physicians in the department. Around 8:00 p.m. she is ready to head home, often taking along some additional reading material. Dianne sums up her days by stating, "A ‘good day is one with lots of time in the lab (even better if someone makes a cool discovery!); a ‘bad' day is one with lots of administrative meetings and little student contact".
Dianne encourages biology students by stating, "This is one of the best times to be in science, with funding increasing and the explosion of genetic knowledge allowing us to do experiments we couldn't even have dreamed of ten years ago." She goes on to advise current students to "learn how to learn," instead of just memorizing facts that will soon be forgotten. "You'll be much better off learning how to evaluate data and come up with your own conclusions as opposed to just learning the conclusion," she says. She also highly recommends that students work in a lab as an undergraduate to simply see if they enjoy lab work. "It doesn't really matter what area you work in, since the basic principles of doing experiments are the same no matter the discipline," she explains. It was in the lab that Dianne first learned that science is fun, and she happily notes "I am gratified that my own students seem to be learning that important lesson!"