GI Distress at work and play

McCormick marries her love of science with music

Beth McCormick, PhD, spends long hours in the lab, seeking to understand the bacterial pathogenesis of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Outside the lab, she likes to play drums. While research and music may seem like disparate interests, Dr. McCormick says they are actually complementary.
Her band, aptly named GI Distress, is made up of likeminded scientists.
"The band experience started very organically," explains McCormick, vice chair and professor of microbiology & physiological systems.
While at a GI conference, she and fellow scientists-musicians were invited on stage by the group performing at the conference's big banquet. They had so much fun, they formed a band and play together whenever science brings them to the same city.