Against Drugs in Sports
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In my day job as a scientist, I consult for organizations that fight doping in sports and test athletes for performance-enhancing drugs. These are prohibited in sports to protect fair play and the athletes' health. I have worked with Don Catlin at the UCLA Olympic Lab since 1984, including as the lab Associate Director for over a decade. I write about drugs in sports for readers of all ages.
Why:
- because in 1984, when the Olympics were coming to Los Angeles, I heard myself say, "I wish I could be the one inventing lab drug tests!"
- because as a pharmacist, I know about drugs; as a Ph.D. Analytical-Organic Chemist, I know how to identify drugs; and as a bilingual person (French and English) I know the two official languages of the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency
- and because I want to pass accurate information about drugs in sports to those who need to understand it to make decisions, including athletes, sports officials, lawyers, parents and children.
How I got a job at the UCLA Olympic Lab:
In 1984, while finishing my doctoral thesis work at the UCLA Chemistry Department, I read about the UCLA (School of Medicine) Olympic Lab in the campus papers. The lab used the same technology to identify drugs as the one I used for my research: mass spectrometry. I proposed to lab director Don Catlin to be his volunteer French interpreter for media interviews. He said, "I don't need an interpreter, but I could use a mass spectrometrist. Would you like a job?" And I said, "Now there's an idea!" We've worked well together ever since.Resources
For young people
Adams, Jacqueline. Steroids. San Diego: Lucent Books, San Diego, 2006.
Santella, Thomas M. Body Enhancement Products. ("DRUGS The Straight Facts" series): Chelsea House, Philadelphia, 2005.
Galas, Judith. Drugs and Sports. ("Lucent Overview Series"): Lucent Books, San Diego, 1997.
ARTICLES:
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| August 2004 issue Cricket Magazine, art © 2004 by Carus Publishing |
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| The Night Olympic Team An insider's account of one of the biggest doping busts in the history of the Winter Games. How athletes were caught on a drug so new, no one thought the lab scientists would know how to test for it. This article won the 2003 Society of Children's Writers & Illustrators-Los Angeles First Place Nonfiction Award and an Excellence Award from the Society for Technical Communication. I expanded this article into a book for young readers, The Night Olympic Team (Boyds Mills Press, 2008). |
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| YES Mag - the science magazine for adventurous minds January/February 2006 issue |
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| Finding Gold for Canada Another facet of the above story: how a Canadian athlete brought home Olympic gold after athletes on prohibited drugs were disqualified. |
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| YES Mag - Canada's Science Magazine for Kids July/August 2004 issue |
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| The Dope on Cheaters How UCLA Olympic Lab scientists, including yours truly, cracked mystery designer steroid THG. WEBSITES: |
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For adults
ANTI-DOPING ORGANIZATIONS & WEBSITES
ADR Anti-Doping Research, Inc. www.antidopingresearch.org
NCDFS National Center for Drug Free Sport www.drugfreesport.com
USADA United States Anti-Doping Agency www.usantidoping.org
WADA World Anti-Doping Agency www.wada-ama.org
The Taylor Hooton Foundation - Fighting Steroid Abuse www.taylorhootonfoundation.org
DOCUMENTARY
Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Dope - The battle to save the soul of sport. 2004. DVD or VHS and study guide available from www.enhancetv.com.au
ARTICLES
About human growth hormone
Alexander, Brian. "Call for crackdown on docs who peddle HGH." msnbc.com, June 18, 2008.
"Science is the greatest of all adventure stories."
Greene, Brian. "Put a little science in your life." The New York Times, June 1, 2008.
Can we tempt athletes to stay drug-free?
Shermer, Michael. "The doping dilemma - game theory helps to explain the pervasive abuse of drugs in cycling, baseball and other sports." Scientific American, April 2008, p 82-89.
Comparing a doper who lied to a doper who confessed
Fainaru-Wada, Mark. "As she heads to prison, Jones remains a cautionary tale." espn.com, March 8, 2008.
Overview
Alexander, Brian. "The awful truth about drugs in sports." Outside, July 2005, 100-108.
About the Olympic spirit
Case, Christa. "Spectacular victories are the vistas, not the destinations, on Olympic path." (Commentary) The Christian Science Monitor, August 26, 2004.
BOOK
Callahan, David. 2004 The Cheating Culture - Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong To Get Ahead. Harcourt, Inc. NY. www.cheatingculture.com
ESPECIALLY FOR TEACHERS
Resources about the Olympics (by grade level) books, videos, an audio book, a DVD, and websites
Taniguchi, Marilyn. "Going the distance: focus on Summer Olympics." School Library Journal, 1 June 2008.
Teachers Project Pack middle school and high school language arts, media and drama lesson plan "Standing clean." by the Canadian Olympic School Program
Students write a press release and plan a press conference after a fictitious gold medalist tests positive.
Visit the U.S. Olympic Academy, a program of the United States Olympic Committee that comprises education and outreach efforts. See lesson plans for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12, for example about "Olympians in Life."
Career Advice
There are not many jobs available in anti-doping labs worldwide, but qualified persons might also find work in equine or workplace urine testing labs, crime labs, or environmental labs. Technicians typically have a bachelor's degree in chemistry or biochemistry and senior scientists (certifying scientists who certify test results, especially when a prohibited drug is found) typically have a master's or Ph.D. Hands-on experience with drug extraction from biological samples or the main technologies, namely gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, make job applicants much stronger. Those who do best in this line of work love detail, are good at complex repetitive tasks, and maintain a sharp sense of observation.