Dr. Barbara Hastie is a junior faculty member in the department of community dentistry and behavioral science, having joined the college in 2003. In addition to her responsibilities within the college, she is a co-facilitator for the Pain Coping Skills Group at the VA Medical Center.
Hastie earned a BS in International Relations, a BS in Political Science, and a BA in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh. She earned an MA in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Il., and a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology from Alliant International University- CSPP in Fresno, Ca.
Where were you born?
Chicago, IL
What made you decide to go into dentistry or into your current field?
A major life changing event caused me to embark on a new career, leaving International Relations to go back to school for a PhD in Neuropsychology specifically to work in the field of pain management. If not for that major event, I probably would be stationed at a US embassy somewhere in the world such as Vanuatu, Iraq or some other remote or high threat place. Working in the field of pain and surviving in research can be equally, if not more, challenging – and fun!
What career accomplishment are you most proud of?
• Having written and advocated for legislation (related to pain management) that was passed in California. The first requires all 8 medical schools to have a course in pain management and end-of-life care. The second requires that all licensed physicians have 12 units of continuing medical education in pain management as a condition of re-licensure.
• Previous Career: working on a task force to successfully evacuate Americans from Kuwait and get embassy staff home to safety during Desert Storm.
If you could live anywhere on earth (and money was no issue) where would you choose to live?
• French Polynesia
• Liechtenstein
How do you most like to spend your free time?
Free time? I didn’t think free time was allowed of tenure track junior faculty! When possible, I enjoy volunteering with my pug therapy dog Spankie, traveling, learning and experiencing other cultures, cheering the Green Bay Packers.
What was the last book you read?
Genes, Behavior and the Social Environment (you mean there are other books apart from work-related reading?!)
Who are your heroes in real life?
• Distant Heroes: Mother Theresa, Saint Francis of Assisi
• Everyday Heroes: many of the chronic and cancer pain patients with whom I have worked
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
Perfection…with humor thrown in for good measure!
What is your motto?
It is a synopsis of a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a bit better… to know even one life had breathed easier because you had lived, that is to have succeeded.”