Meet the Scientist: Beth Hamelin
Beth Hamelin serves as the Lab Chief of the Toxins and Drugs of Abuse Laboratory. The laboratory supports CDC’s emergency response efforts, maintaining 24/7 capability to quickly find and help people at risk of contact with harmful chemicals during a public health emergency.
Her team provides laboratory support regarding drugs of abuse, harmful algal blooms, and the Laboratory Resource Network for Chemical Threats (LRN-C).
Where did you grow up?
Midland—(West) Texas
When did you know you wanted a career in science/public health?
During my chemistry class in high school. My teacher, Dr. Bertling, was an excellent instructor and supported me through a challenging time. Combine that with a personal vision of working as a professional in a lab coat, and my trajectory was set.
Where did you attain your degrees?
I went to Coe College, a small liberal arts college in Iowa. For my graduate work I went to Texas A&M University–a much larger agricultural school.
What does your laboratory do?
We develop detection methods for human (and sometimes animal) exposures to natural toxins and drugs of abuse; our recent work in opioids, harmful algal blooms, and diethylene glycol to name a few. I work with a great team that is laser-focused on identifying the “next big threat.”
Beth Hamelin and 14 year-old “Brooklyn.”
What does your average weekend look like?
If I’m not playing tennis or walking my 14 year-old Weimaraner, I can usually be found playing the French horn in a band or two community orchestras.
In college, people thought you were…
A music major (!), and always upbeat. They always seemed surprised when I told them I was planning a career in the sciences.
In elementary school, people thought you were…
Weird. I read voraciously, loved classical music, and had an imagination that just wouldn’t stop.
Favorite movie/tv show?
Favorite movies are The Princess Bride, The Goonies, and Twister. Can you tell I’m a child of the 80s?
As for TV, right now I’m loving the remake of Quantum Leap.
You are stuck on an island and can only take one musician’s work with you forever; who would it be?
I wouldn’t need to choose just one. I have so many different artists and genres permanently etched in my mind that I “listen”
What book have you read more than once?
Everything by Jane Austen.
What do you hope, best case, to see come from your lab in the next couple years?
Solutions to identify the next chemical threat, whether from man or nature. We are always looking out for emerging chemicals that threaten public health.
What is one thing that would make your (personal or professional) life be so much better/easier?
Limitless energy and focus.
Best part of your job?
The great scientists I get to work with each day.
One thing about you that your CDC colleagues may not know.
I grew up milking goats and feeding chickens before school. Also, I raced cars with a family team for a number of years.
The food you cannot do without is?
Chocolate and peanut butter, which is its own food group. Right?
Twenty years after you leave CDC, what is it you want people to remember about you?
That I cared about the people, the work, and the mission.
The DLS Snapshot is a quick glimpse into the background of scientists in the Division of Laboratory Sciences–CDC’s Environmental Laboratory.