Interview with Dr. Natterson-Horowitz
By: Aglaia, Junior Giraffe Club member
Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, M.D., is a cardiologist and evolutionary biologist on the faculty of Harvard and UCLA. She received her B.A. and Master’s degrees at Harvard and her medical degree at UC San Francisco. For twenty years she practiced cardiology – taking care of patients with heart attacks – until zoos asked her to help out. Now she studies wild animals – their behavior and their bodies – to better understand and improve human health. In her books Zoobiquity and Wildhood Dr. Natterson-Horowitz explores health, illness and what it means to become an adult across species.
Image credit: Crystal Lily
1. How was your first experience working at a zoo different from working with human patients? How was it similar?
Having practiced human medicine for many years before I entered the world of veterinary medicine, I found the overlap in the fields surprising at first. But ultimately, because humans and animals are so biologically connected, it should not be a surprise to anyone, especially a doctor, that so many of the disease vulnerabilities are shared.
2. What is the most interesting connection or similarity between animal and human health?
There are so many it’s literally impossible for me to choose one, especially an interesting one. Some of the connections that really illustrate the profound connection between human and animal health have to do with the impact of the environment. As climate change and environmental degradation worsen, health effects are being seen in all species–not only humans.
A clean environment is one of the most important ways to support the health not only of our species, but of the millions of other animal species with whom we share the planet.
Image credit: Crystal Lily
3. Having identified the similarities between animal and human health, how do you think this may help animal and human health in the future?
It’s exciting to look at biodiversity, not only as beauty, but as a source of innovative biology that may potentially solve problems to improve the health of humans and other animals. As I mentioned in my giraffe talk, evolution produces a diversity of forms and physiologies. Some of these can make an animal species resistant to certain diseases that we humans are very vulnerable to. The example in my lecture had to do with hypertension–also known as high blood pressure–and heart failure. The giraffe has a much higher blood pressure than other animals, and they have a thick heart, but unlike our species, having a thick heart does not necessarily mean that there is a disease. In fact, the giraffes have a thick heart that functions beautifully without heart failure. Understanding how the giraffe evolved this ability can help inform research for humans with heart disease. Critically, this approach should help health professionals see the invaluable nature of biodiversity–and how irreplaceable it is. One of my goals is to increase the numbers of physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and other human health professionals in climate change, environmental, and planetary health.
4. How did your career path as a cardiologist begin? What challenges did you face? Did you have a role model - if so, who was it?
I spent the first 15 years or so of my career as a cardiologist. I wanted to be a physician for as long as I can remember. I didn’t really have a specific role model, but as I entered the field of medicine I’ve had many role models, however, and many teachers. When I was invited to the Los Angeles Zoo to participate in the care of the animal patients, my eyes were opened to the opportunities for human medicine to gain insights through knowledge of not only veterinary medicine, but the biology of other species. Some of my most important teachers over the last 15 years have been experts on animal health, wildlife biology and conservation medicine.
5. Do you think that your current studies in animal health - especially giraffes- can help with conservation and conserving current animals at risk?
I certainly hope so. When I allow myself to dream a little, I hope that my work can help the world of human health professionals to see the importance and the power of the natural world and its biodiversity to provide solutions that we will all need to face the anticipated challenges of the future.
