Carlyn Halde | |
---|---|
Born | Glendale, California | June 16, 1924
Died | June 11, 2014 San Francisco, California | (aged 89)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater |
|
Awards | Fulbright Scholarship |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Medical mycology |
Institutions | |
Thesis | The relation of nutrition to the growth and morphology of trichophyton concentricum blanchard 1896 (1953) |
Doctoral advisor | Norman Conant |
Carlyn Jean Halde (16 June 1924 – 11 June 2014[1]) was an American medical mycologist. Halde was instrumental in making medical mycology a widespread field of research, lecturing around the world and setting up laboratory facilities to examine and culture fungal samples. She was also known as a mentor, educator and philanthropist.
Halde was born in Glendale, California into an artistic family. They settled in Los Angeles when Halde was starting fourth grade. She developed rheumatic fever and read books about nature during her convalescence. She attended Alhambra High School.[2]
Inspired by her high school biology teacher, Halde majored in zoology at UCLA starting in 1941. After getting a job in Dr. Odra Plunkett's lab as an undergraduate student, she decided to stay at UCLA for her master's, supervised by Plunkett.[2] Her thesis, completed in 1947, was entitled The production of antibiotic substances by some green plants.[3]
Halde initially set out to become a high school teacher in 1947 and worked at San Fernando High School. However, it was not the experience she had hoped for, students were difficult to engage and she had few resources at her disposal. By the end of the year, she received an invitation to lecture in Hawaii which she accepted.[2]
Halde was appointed visiting professor at the University of Hawaii in 1948.[4] She lectured on medical microbiology, focusing on mycology. The course was seen as innovative and relevant as mycotic infections were common in the area and few universities offered such specialised instruction.[5] Between 1948 and 1950, she began working on clinical mycology at the Tripler Naval Hospital though she continued lecturing at the university.[6] During her time in Hawaii, Halde went on hiking and camping trips,[1] including an expedition sponsored by the university to collect botanical samples.[7]
Looking to become a professional medical mycologist, Halde applied and was accepted in the Ph.D. program at Duke University supervised by Dr. Norman Conant. She was to begin her studies in the fall of 1950.[2] In the summer of 1950, Halde was forced to cancel her regular medical mycology lecture series in Hawaii after receiving news that she had been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship.[8] She and Dr. Conant agreed that she should accept the offer, delaying the start of her doctoral work by a year.[2] From June 1950 to April 1951, she worked in Manila in the Philippines on medical mycology.[9][10] She took collected and cultured samples from fungal infection cases at the University of the Philippines Institute of Hygiene and University of Santo Tomas Medical School. At the end of her Fulbright tenure, she embarked on a tour of Southeast Asia with meetings coordinated by the World Health Organization.[2]
Returning to the United States in 1951, Halde worked on her Ph.D. at Duke until 1953 with a thesis entitled The relation of nutrition to the growth and morphology of trichophyton concentricum blanchard 1896.[11] She was eager to return to California, and sought employment there.[2] In 1953, Stanford established a clinical mycology lab and Halde was appointed director.[12] Two years later, she moved to the Dermatology Research Laboratory at UCLA where she remained until 1958. She studied amphotericin B as a treatment for coccidioidomycosis, an infection caused by an environmental fungal pathogen.[2] Between 1958 and 1961, Halde was at the University of Indonesia Medical School supervising and setting up a mycology lab. Afterwards, taking a break from her research, she spent time travelling in Africa with her parents.[2]
In 1964, Halde accepted a position at UCSF as a professor of mycology and remained there for the rest of her career.[2] She "retired" from UCSF at 65 to leave openings in the department for new faculty, but continued to teach and mentor students.[13] The main focus of her research was medical mycology and she published many resources for clinicians in medicine, dentistry and pharmacology.[2][14] In 1971, she introduced a medical mycology workshop series at UCSF as a continuing education program for medical and laboratory personnel.[15]
Halde was a member and supporter of professional and honour societies including the Lambda Sigma Society,[2] the American Society for Microbiology, the Medical Mycological Society of the Americas,[16] the Mycological Society of America (joined 1954),[17] the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology[18] and the Society of Women Geographers.[19]
Halde was a generous donor and volunteer during her lifetime:
She established funds for members of her field, including the following:
Other donations from her estate:
Halde experienced some health issues including epilepsy.[2]