Margery Herrington Finds the Best of Both Worlds (06-25-07)
Behind every great scientific discovery are countless unsung researchers. Dr. Margery Herrington is one of these dedicated scientists who contributes to the welfare of humanity.
An Adams State College professor, Herrington teaches in the Biology Department during the academic year and spends her summers in Sweden researching the body's upper gastrointestinal tract, with a focus on pancreas diseases such as cancer and pancreatitis.
"Researchers around the world are making progress in small steps toward more effective treatments for pancreatic cancer. Hopefully, a cure can eventually be found," Herrington said. "The disease has a very high mortality rate and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Ninety percent of patients live less than one year after diagnosis, about five percent live for five years, and basically no one survives more than seven years. There are no good screening methods to find the disease at an early stage. At the time of diagnosis, the cancer usually has already invaded the surrounding tissue or has spread to other parts of the body, making surgical removal of the tumor impossible."
Working in medical research in the summer and lecturing to future medical professionals and other students during the academic year is exactly what Herrington envisioned for herself when she came to Adams State. Early in her career, she taught high school biology. After her children were older, she accepted a position as a research technician at Creighton University School of Medicine and later began working on her doctorate under Dr. Thomas Adrian. In the lab, she had the opportunity to work with Dr. Johan Permert and several other Swedish surgeons. In Sweden, a medical doctor needs to have both an M.D. and Ph.D. to teach at a medical school. The Swedish gastrointestinal surgeons came to Creighton to work with Adrian, who is well-known in the research field.
Permert, a leading physician/researcher in pancreatology and gastrointestinal disease, has over 100 publications. He has been elected a future president of the European Pancreatic Club and has organized and guided PANCREAS 2000, an ongoing program encouraging young surgeons to become involved in pancreatic research.
Permert organized the specialized surgery center at Huddinge Hospital and has developed an innovative approach to the use of the wards to increase the number of patients that can be served by the institution.
Herrington received a Fulbright Scholarship to work in Stockholm, Sweden, for nine months in 1995, under the direction of doctors Permert and Jšrgen Larsson. Larsson is a member of the Nobel Prize committee that selects the recipient for the prize in medicine or physiology each year.
Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities - primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program's inception, more than 273,500 participants - chosen for their leadership potential - have had the opportunity to observe each other's political, economic, and cultural institutions.
"When Johan asked what I planned to do after finishing my postdoctoral work, I told him I wanted to teach at a small school and work on research in the summer. He said, 'Great! You can come work for us.'" Since accepting a teaching position at Adams State in 1997, Herrington has returned to Sweden every summer. The laboratory is at Huddinge University Hospital, which is part of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden's largest medical school and research institution. The upper abdominal surgery department of the hospital is a specialized center that handles patients from a wide geographical area who require major pancreatic surgery.
Herrington is involved in the design of experiments in the lab, analysis of data, and research writing. She has had the opportunity to be present at several pancreatic surgeries and even held the retractor at one operation. Herrington coauthored 19 published journal articles and five upcoming articles with Swedish surgeons.
Complementary Pursuits
Herrington said after she earned her Ph.D., she knew she wanted to teach and conduct research. On a small campus like Adams State, she has the flexibility to contribute in both arenas.
"I wanted to concentrate on teaching as my main activity for the school year," she said. "In larger universities, professors are pulled in both directions - research and teaching. Adams State is small enough to let me know my students and teach my labs. It is large enough that there are more than two people in the department, which means I can teach in my field instead of being expected to cover a wide range of upper-division subjects."
Another factor in choosing Adams State College was its location.
"I grew up in Boulder (Colo.) and am happy to be back near mountains," Herrington said. "I also wanted a place with a range of ecosystems, both because of my interests and because the possibilities for field work to attract good biology students." Working alongside prestigious medical doctors and assisting health students and physical education students with their lab assignments is a good fit for Herrington.
"I have a nice rhythm to my year," Herrington said. "The two parts complement each other. In the summer, I have access to a very fine medical library for teaching materials, and I ask the surgeons questions from my students. My teaching skills help in the research lab, too. One of my contributions to the research team is to help teach scientific writing to the surgeons who are pursuing their Ph.D. degrees." Herrington also has the opportunity to encourage future doctors. When Perment found funding for her to take a student with her to the American Pancreatic Society meeting in Chicago, she invited Ope Daramola '04.
"The meeting allowed Ope to see research in a broader context than that provided by the summer research position he had had in Denver," she said. "His interest in research was stimulated by the trip to Chicago, and he has been involved in research projects at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he is a student."
"I didn't know what to expect," Daramola said. "I was young, fresh, and waiting to be influenced. I was not disappointed. To be honest, I did not understand most of the projects, but I was very excited to read and hear about making important connections between laboratory studies and clinical trials."
Another student directly benefited from Herrington's Swedish connection. Crystal (Willis) Evig '02, currently a medical student at University of Colorado Health Science Center, traveled with her to Stockholm during the winter break in 2002 for a one-week symposium on pancreatic disease arranged by Perment.
"One of the activities at the conference was watching a live operation by a remote connection that gave everyone a clear view of the procedure," said Herrington. "In between the stages of the operation, there were discussions on the diagnosis and treatment of difficult cases of pancreatic diseases."
The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach that secretes powerful digestive enzymes to help digest fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The pancreas also releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones play an important part in metabolizing sugar.
Pancreatitis is a rare disease in which the pancreas becomes inflamed. Damage to the gland occurs when digestive enzymes are activated and begin attacking the pancreas. In severe cases, there may be bleeding into the gland, serious tissue damage, infection, and cysts. Enzymes and toxins may enter the bloodstream and seriously injure organs, such as the heart, lungs, and kidney. Herrington has traveled with the research team to meetings of the European Pancreatic Club held in France, Italy, Germany, England, Austria, and Finland. Herrington says she gets to do more than the standard tourist on these trips, because the Swedish group usually includes people who are familiar with the cities and speak the language.
Adams State College students appreciate Herrington and, in 2004, presented her with the Associated Students and Faculty (AS&F) Award for Excellence in Research and Published Works.
Tracy Vargas '07 said the education she received from Herrington provided information she will use every day in her profession. Vargas recently received a bachelor of science in nursing degree.
"Dr. Herrington presented her material in an easy-to-follow manner and took the time to explain and answer any questions," Vargas said. "She made my learning experience very remarkable, and she always added humor to her lectures, which I enjoyed very much." Mike Noonan '07, who has been accepted into Arizona State University and plans on becoming a physician's assistant, said, "During endocrinology last semester, I had a question that Doctor Herrington couldn't answer. The next class period she handed me a four-page article she'd printed from the Web addressing my question."
"I get to satisfy my interest in biology by sharing with students," Herrington said. "I want to help them toward a career with a biology basis, nursing or other health, and physical education professions."
