{"546561":{"#nid":"546561","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Finding Fulfillment in Safety and Adventure","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EFor someone who initially set out to be a full-time researcher, overseeing biosafety for a large research enterprise is a natural fit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EMeagan Fitzpatrick, biosafety officer in Environmental Health and Safety, studied biology and chemistry as an undergraduate at Loyola University. Once she started doing research, though, she realized the lab was not where she wanted to be.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cI like working with people and wasn\u2019t getting to do that,\u201d she said. Now, she\u2019s able to support academic research in a different way. \u201cI still get to read science and talk about it a lot, but on a broader, macro level.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe Biosafety Office within Georgia Tech\u2019s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) unit oversees training, resources, and protocols for biohazards for research labs across campus. Their job is to ensure the safety of both those in the labs and those on the rest of the campus. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re not just here to dictate rules, but to coach,\u201d she said. \u201cWe strive to develop a\u0026nbsp; partnership with the researcher community. We see them as our clients.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EWhen dealing with biosafety, no two days are alike. One challenge on the job can be trying to plan long-term when you never know what the day will bring.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cWe\u2019ve had incidents where researchers will have an exposure to a biological material due to a percutaneous injury involving a sharp object, like a needle, piece of broken glass, or a razor blade,\u201d Fitzpatrick said. \u201cWe teach them to wash the exposed area for 15 minutes with soap and warm water at the sink and then to call the Georgia Tech Police Department, who dispatch to the EHS emergency phone so we can assist with next steps. After the incident, we work to ensure that the individual receives any required medical care.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAfter an incident, EHS debriefs with those involved in an incident to determine the cause and what can be done to prevent a similar incident and improve future response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThis is key because, truly, there are no accidents,\u201d she said. \u201cAll exposures and injuries can be prevented and that\u2019s what we seek to do.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EFitzpatrick held a similar position at Emory University for six years before coming to Tech in 2014. While there, she received a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health from the university\u2019s Rollins School. Her master\u2019s capstone project on standard operating procedure and risk assessment for a patient isolation unit used to transport highly infectious patients within the Department of Defense to Emory University allowed her to work with\u0026nbsp; Emory\u2019s physicians\u0026nbsp; as they prepared to receive and treat patients with infected with highly infectious diseases, like those infected with Ebola in 2014. Fitzpatrick also trained doctors at Stamps Health Services on Ebola protocols when she came to Tech. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EIn addition, her master\u2019s work focused on sustainability, which has served as a primer for some of her work at Tech. She is part of a sustainability committee with Facilities Management and chairs a subcommittee on program development. Their current project is a workplace sustainability pilot which was developed in through a partnership with the Office of Campus Sustainability.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cWe provide a sort of checklist of things for offices to work toward to get certified as \u003Cbr \/\u003E a green office,\u201d she said. The checklist is focused on behavioral changes and includes sections like on waste reduction, energy efficiency, and a safe and healthy office environment. The pilot is currently underway in the Facilities and the Office of Undergraduate Education.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EBeyond campus, Fitzpatrick is involved in the larger biosafety community through the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association, as a member of its board of trustees. She\u2019s also a member of the American Biological Safety Association.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cYou learn a lot from working on different things and with people you don\u2019t normally interact with,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes a new problem can feel like this huge elephant, but there\u2019s probably someone out there who has already dealt with it and can help you work through it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EOriginally from Maryland, Fitzpatrick and her husband have made a home in Atlanta over the past eight years. They\u2019ll soon be growing their family, as their first child is due in September.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s been the two of us for so long, and it\u2019s exciting to add someone new \u2014 besides our dog \u2014 and for the priority shift that will happen,\u201d she said. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAs a varsity swimmer at Loyola for four years, following years of childhood swimming, being active and outdoors has always been part of Fitzpatrick\u2019s life. Family vacations often included outdoor activities, which still play a leading role for her and her husband. They often spend weekends hiking or walking in Atlanta\u2019s parks, and Fitzpatrick is an active yogi. Her preferred practice is power vinyasa, a fast-paced and challenging version of yoga. She\u2019s even combined her indoor and outdoor interests and tried standup paddleboard yoga.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAt six months pregnant, though, the power vinyasa is now taking a backseat to prenatal practice.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a slower pace,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s more lying down.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EBoth in work and her hobbies, Fitzpatrick is eager to get involved and take on new challenges. Thankfully, she\u2019s found Tech to be just the right place for that.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s such a warm and welcoming place,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you show an interest in trying something or working on something, there are going to be opportunities for you.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EMeagan Fitzpatrick, biosafety officer in Environmental Health and Safety,\u0026nbsp;initially set out to be a full-time researcher.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Meagan Fitzpatrick, biosafety officer in Environmental Health and Safety, initially set out to be a full-time researcher."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-06-21 14:40:25","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:21:57","author":"Kristen 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Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}