Poor grades didn’t stop Tasmin Barry – now Dr Tasmin Barry – from striving for the top. Her love of science began when the big man in red bought her a microscope kit one Christmas. This kickstarted her journey to become a paediatrician and a principal investigator for a world-leading study that could improve the lives of thousands of children living with asthma.
Tasmin says poor health in childhood spreads like the ripples on a pond, affecting your life going forward.
It’s something she is committed to addressing. She wants to give children living with asthma a better quality of life – and to keep them out of hospital.
Tasmin, who is the principal investigator for a world-leading asthma study called START CARE, is also simultaneously completing a PhD in Clinical Research.
START CARE, a study led by the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ), is investigating the best way of treating asthma in tamariki aged 5 to 11 years.
“I was interested in promoting the health of children and young people and working to ensure they had the best opportunity to live full lives going forward into adulthood – this is just one way I can do that.”
Asthma is one of the most common chronic illnesses in tamariki globally, but Aotearoa New Zealand has particularly high rates.
In the year 2000, there were around 4000 hospital admissions for tamariki with asthma and wheeze – that was around 5 times the rate seen in adults.
Tasmin admits her journey to where she is now was a little “convoluted”.
“I had very poor grades on completing my final year of high school and did not apply for university; instead, I took a job cleaning at a local motel for a year.
“But, science has always been a strong interest (at least since Santa brought me a microscope kit for Christmas), so I knew I had to go back to school.”
She re-sat her final year of high school, then went to university to gain a Bachelor of Science (biochemistry) degree. She put in the long hours in the library and eventually gained a graduate admission into medicine.
Once she finishes her PhD, she hopes to find a role where she can use both science and medicine to improve children's health, she says.
