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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
NSU Research Spotlight: Pharmaceutical Sciences
Robert Speth, Ph.D.
While taking his first college psychology course, Bob Speth, now a Ph.D., decided that he wanted to figure out how the brain works.
“At that time, I had no idea that the brain had 100 billion cells, all making connections with each other. I’m still working at my goal, though I have scaled back my expectations,” he says.
Now an NSU professor of pharmaceutical sciences, Speth has characterized a brain protein that forms a blood pressure-lowering hormone, which could eventually reduce the incidence of heart disease. “I have six people in the laboratory going full bore on what I hope will become a valuable research tool,” he says.
Speth’s team consists of a junior, two new graduates, and three high school students. “I get a lot of satisfaction from watching students grow and gain knowledge,” he explains. Raised a Christian Scientist, Speth grew up believing that the mind is capable of healing. And to a certain extent, he still does. While he figures that a huge majority of nutritional supplements are a waste of money, or even a health threat, the placebo effect of people feeling better because of presumed efficacy gives him pause. “The mind has a powerful ability to heal the body,” he says.
Speth credits Hank Yamamura, Ph.D., of the University of Arizona, his postdoctoral mentor, with changing his life. “Dr. Hank Yamamura instilled so much confidence in me through his optimism and concern for people in his lab,” Speth recalls. “I feel a sacred responsibility to carry on his spirit with my students.”