Richard Wassersug

Dr. Richard Joel Wassersug (Born April 13, 1946) is a professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Dalhousie University with cross appointments in the Departments of Biology and Psychology.[1][2][3] He is also an adjunct professor at The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society, La Trobe University.[4]

Wassersug, who takes anti-androgens as treatment for prostate cancer, identifies as a eunuch.[5]

Contents

Biography

Dr. Wassersug received his Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University in geology and biology in 1967 and his PhD from the University of Chicago in Evolutionary Biology in 1973. He became a professor in the Dalhousie University’s Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology in 1986 and Honorary Associate Professor in Dalhousie University’s School of Physiotherapy in 1989. In 2010 was an honorary visiting professor at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, at La Trobe University.[6]

Dr. Wassersug is an outspoken communicator of scientific ideas, making appearances on CBC Radio’s Maritime Noon and Discovery Channel Canada’s Daily Planet (TV series).[7][8]

Research

The majority of his scientific career has been spent studying the functional morphology and behavior of anuran larvae. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers on these animals. Dr. Wassersug’s more recent work focuses on prostate cancer and the psychology of androgen deprivation.[9]

Dr. Wassersug has received funding for his research from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Space Agency, Parks Canada, and the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation.[10]

Awards

Dr. Wassersug received the Science Communication Award from the Atlantic Provinces Council on the Sciences in 2001.[11] He was also named a Science Champion during the Discovery Awards for Science and Technology in 2003.[12]

He won an Ig Nobel Prize in 2000 for his firsthand report, "On the Comparative Palatability of Some Dry-Season Tadpoles from Costa Rica".[13]

Publications (Since 2005)

References

  1. ^ "Dalhousie Anatomy and Neurobiology Faculty and Administration". Anatomy.medicine.dal.ca. http://anatomy.medicine.dal.ca/deptmembs.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 
  2. ^ "Faculty and Staff Directory". Biology.dal.ca. http://biology.dal.ca/People/faculty_staff.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 
  3. ^ "Cross-Appointed Faculty - Department of Psychology". Psychology.dal.ca. 2010-10-14. http://psychology.dal.ca/People/Cross-Appointed_Facu.php. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 
  4. ^ "Staff profile, La Trobe University". Latrobe.edu.au. 2010-08-12. http://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/research-profiles/view-profile?uname=RWassersug. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 
  5. ^ Wassersug, Richard (2007-03-27). "Disfiguring Treatment? No, It Was Healing". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/health/27case.html. Retrieved 2011-06-30. 
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ "Maritime Noon | Phone-In Regulars". CBC.ca. 2009-06-25. http://www.cbc.ca/maritimenoon/phone-in-regulars.html. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 
  8. ^ Ingram, Jay (2010). Daily Planet: The Ultimate Book of Everyday Science. Penguin Canada. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-14-317786-9. 
  9. ^ [2]
  10. ^ [3]
  11. ^ Atlantic Provinces Council on the Sciences Biennial Report April 1, 2001 – March 31, 2003 http://apics.dal.ca/members/Biennial%20Report%20Apr01-Mar03.pdf
  12. ^ "People". dalnews.dal.ca. 2002-12-11. http://dalnews.dal.ca/2002/12/11/people.shtml. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 
  13. ^ http://improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2000

External links