Close Up Radio Spotlights Nurse Scientist Mary McCarthy

Steilacoom, WA – Mary McCarthy is a nurse scientist. In that role, she supports research activities throughout the military hospital where she works. She develops her own research protocols as a staff scientist. Most amazing is that she works in this hospital as a civilian, as opposed to being on active duty.

“What I do is a broad definition of research,” explains Mary. “I mostly do health promotion research. It involves interacting with research participants who might be hospital workers. They also might be service members of all branches. It involves one-on-one interaction. There are specimens collected where we will do lab-based analyses on them. It is also human-based interaction that might be education and teaching study participants.”

“I have been conducting experimental and observational research studies along with a team of other health professionals for many years,” notes Mary. “Mostly, I have a strong interest in nutrition. I look at the elements of nutrition that impact the health and wellness of the individual. For several years, I have been focusing on nutrients – vitamins and minerals. For the past few years, I have taken it a step further where I am looking at precision nutrition, which is a more personalized approach to nutrition that incorporates genetics, lifestyle, and the environment. These efforts are designed to support personal and operational readiness of service members by optimizing performance and minimizing risk for injury and illness.”

“It’s all about teamwork,” concludes Mary. “Each study leaves you with new questions for a new study.”

For more information, please visit Mary McCarthy’s page on LinkedIn