1990's Alumni Stories

HumBio area of study: Medical Ethics.
My favorite memory of the Core was the professor who taught the heart system in '87-'88. He showed up to class one day in a raincoat and had a bucket full of water, some tubing and a pump. He started yelling, "Lub, Dub... Lub, Dub..." and water started…

HumBio area of study: Environmental Management.
I am currently working as the senior program evaluator for Care for the Homeless, a non-profit in New York City that provides health care to homeless people throughout NYC, and runs a 200 bed shelter for medically frail and mentally ill women…

HumBio area of study: Psychobiological Development of Children & Adolescents Deviant & Abnormal Behavior.
The HumBio program really inspired me to value, embrace and draw from the diversity of culture, biology and psychology to pursue a life and career in public health and education…

HumBio area of study: Women’s Health in Cross Cultural Perspective.
HumBio was a challenge and a treat, and prepared me very well for a master's program in public health! It took me a year to find out that such a program existed, and another year to apply and get started, but it has turned…

HumBio area of study: Biocultural Evolution.
I may be one of the few people who uses his college major as part of his every day work. In fact, it was a medical anthropology class with guest lecturer Gay Becker from UCSF that set me on my career course.

HumBio area of study: Race and Ethnic Relations.
Nature, nurture, nature, nurture...HumBio was the perfect preparation for my career in elementary education. I have to teach many subjects and the interdisciplinary approach is invaluable. The developemental psychology was particularly helpful…

HumBio area of study: Health Promotion.
Human Biology made me realize how multi-dimensional so many of our global challenges are – I think it started with a lecture on deforestation that examined the practice from ecological, social, cultural, and health perspectives. I remember thinking…

HumBio area of study: Female Sexuality.
The funniest thing that happened during HumBio was when we were told that we are all biologically Black and how upsetting that was for a classmate in my small section.

HumBio area of study: Human Evolutionary Genetics.
I'm astounded how after 15 years the lessons learned in interdisciplinary study continue to reverberate through my daily life. The task of developing an area of study was important; more important was the development of my thought processes…

My funniest memory is of tap dancing on stage in front of the entire class at the final "pre-final" study session of the year when I was head A-side CA. I, of course, had no tap dancing experience to speak of, but what can I say, I was inspired. Inspired and, ok, dared by one of the other CAs.…

HumBio Area of Study: Gendered Perspectives on Human Development.
HumBio undoubtedly gave me the breadth and depth of study that helped launch me on my path to becoming a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. Dr. Ellen Porzig's class on Human Development inspired my honors thesis in the…

HumBio area of study: Health Policy, Bioethics.
I always knew I would work in health care. HumBio opened my eyes to a much broader context for human health and wellness - encompassing research, policy, community and industry. I am grateful to be partnering with extraordinary entrepreneurs to…

HumBio area of study: Evolutionary Anthropology.
I always knew I wanted to be a scientist but I think the autumn core of HumBio is what drove me to become an epidemiologist and devote my career to investigating the genetic determinants of human disease. Since that fateful HumBio experience,…