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蘑菇tv alumnus Henry P. Barham, MD, FARS, has built an internationally recognized career as a physician, researcher, and innovator 鈥� a journey he traces back to the classrooms, mentors, and experiences that first sparked his curiosity at 蘑菇tv.

BATON ROUGE, LA - Long before Henry P. Barham was an internationally recognized physician and researcher studying the science of taste receptors and the human immune system, he was a kid from Oak Ridge, Louisiana, a town of about 100 people, who grew up loving 蘑菇tv.

His father attended 蘑菇tv, as did much of his family, and Barham remembers going to games as a child. When it came time for college, 蘑菇tv gave him something much bigger than his hometown experience.

鈥淢ost of my freshman classes had way more people in the class than the town that I grew up in,鈥� Barham recalled. 鈥淚鈥檓 a bit biased, but I love 蘑菇tv.鈥�

That affection for 蘑菇tv has followed Barham through a career that has taken him from Baton Rouge to medical school, residency in Colorado, specialized fellowship training in Australia, and ultimately back home to Louisiana.

Today, Barham is a board-certified otolaryngologist and one of the few dedicated rhinologists in the Southeast, specializing in complex conditions of the nose, sinuses, and skull base. He practices at Sinus and Nasal Specialists of Louisiana, serves as director of the Rhinology and Skull Base Research Group, and is founder and chief medical and scientific officer of 鈥� a Louisiana-based wellness company that grew out of his work. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and leads clinical research to translate scientific discoveries into better patient care.

But in 2004, he was an 蘑菇tv student earning a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology 鈥� and he did not yet know where that degree would take him.

Finding His Path at 蘑菇tv

Barham came to 蘑菇tv as a student-athlete, playing football during the Nick Saban era. With an interest in science and firsthand experience with injuries and rehabilitation, he initially thought physical therapy might be his future.

Instead, his kinesiology coursework began opening other possibilities.

鈥淚 do think that the kinesiology department specifically was kind of where I first became interested,鈥� Barham said. 鈥淭he kinesiology department was fantastic for me.鈥�

Human anatomy particularly captured his attention and helped him begin to see a future in medicine. He remembers faculty members who cared deeply about what they taught and mentors who encouraged students to aim higher. Among those he remembers are former kinesiology faculty member Wanda Hargarder and Verge Ausberry, who remains a mentor and friend today.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what I really loved about my experience in college,鈥� Barham said. 鈥淵ou had people who pushed you to do well, but it was mainly because they were very interested and great teachers.鈥�

His connection to the School of Kinesiology has since come full circle in an unexpected way. Barham has a family connection to the school鈥檚 Rathbone Human Anatomy Lab, named in honor of his wife鈥檚 grandparents. He calls the opportunity for 蘑菇tv students to learn human anatomy in the lab 鈥渁n underappreciated gem on 蘑菇tv鈥檚 campus.鈥�

After graduating from 蘑菇tv, Barham continued his education at 蘑菇tv Health Sciences Center, Shreveport. There, another piece of his career began to take shape: research.

Surrounded by physicians who were also scientists and educators, Barham saw research not as something separate from caring for patients but as a way to continually improve that care.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 really why I see the value of research; you鈥檙e always driving yourself and driving your field to push the envelope and to learn new things because ultimately that鈥檚 going to translate to better outcomes for patients,鈥� he said.

Curiosity Leads to Discovery

After medical school, Barham completed his internship and residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. His research there at the Rocky Mountain Taste and Smell Center introduced him to a subject that would ultimately transform his career: taste receptors.

Barham helped study bitter taste receptors found in human nasal tissue. Scientists would come to better understand that these receptors do much more than allow people to perceive taste; they also play a role in the body's innate immune system, one of its first lines of defense against pathogens.

Barham was hooked.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that you could find a nerdier topic to be obsessed with,鈥� he joked. 鈥淚 mean, I love it.鈥�

That curiosity continued during the Sydney Rhinology Fellowship in Australia, where Barham received specialized training in rhinology, rhinoplasty, and skull base surgery under internationally recognized experts, before eventually bringing that expertise back home to Louisiana. Then COVID-19 presented researchers with an unprecedented scientific question.

Because the world was confronting a novel virus, Barham and his colleagues saw an opportunity to study whether differences in people's innate immune responses could help researchers better understand differences in outcomes.

Their work, which has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of the American Medical Association, eventually led to the development of a simple taste-based test. In minutes, people can learn how their receptors are expressed, with no needles or lab work, and better understand their respiratory health.

What began as research was never intended to become a company.

鈥淚t was all kind of based on the research and providing answers for people,鈥� Barham said.

But the work eventually grew into Phenomune, with Barham serving as founder and chief medical and scientific officer.

Turning Research into Impact

For Barham, the most exciting part is not simply creating a test or building a company. It is the possibility of shifting health care toward something more proactive.

He sees a familiar pattern in medicine: people become sick, seek treatment, recover, and then repeat the process the next time illness strikes. His research asks whether giving people scientifically grounded information about their own bodies can help them become more informed participants in their health.

鈥淗ow do you be more preventative and proactive?鈥� Barham said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what this research, what we鈥檝e worked on, ultimately this company has turned into 鈥� a better way to help people.鈥�

The fact that much of this work is happening in Louisiana 鈥� including through a first-of-its-kind pilot with the Louisiana Department of Health 鈥� makes it particularly meaningful to him. It also means residents can try the test for themselves, and Barham hopes they will.

Barham said he is excited about the potential to provide people with information that is both scientific and specific to them 鈥� information they can use to make their own decisions.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 where you make the most meaningful impact,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not you making the impact. It鈥檚 the individual person making the change.鈥�

That work is gaining recognition in his home community as well. Earlier this year, the Baton Rouge Business Report named Phenomune a finalist for Achievement in Innovation at its Excellence in Healthcare Awards, adding another milestone to a career rooted in patient care, research, and innovation.

Coming Back to 蘑菇tv

For all the places his career has taken him, Barham is happy to be back in Baton Rouge, and his connection to 蘑菇tv remains strong.

He is preparing to return to the School of Kinesiology as a guest lecturer, giving today's students an opportunity to learn from an alumnus who once sat in their classrooms without knowing exactly where his own career would lead.

That uncertainty is part of the message he hopes students understand.

Ten years ago, Barham said, he could not have predicted that research would eventually lead him to the work he is doing today. Alongside a busy medical practice and life as a father of five, the research and innovation that began as intellectual curiosity have grown into another full-time pursuit.

鈥淚 never would have thought that research would have gotten me into this,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 honestly out of a desire to continue to learn. And that鈥檚 been just incredibly rewarding to me.鈥�

And when asked what advice he would give the 蘑菇tv students who follow behind him, Barham returned to the curiosity and love of learning that have guided his own career.

"Be curious. Always learn."

鈥� Henry P. Barham, MD, FARS

鈥淥ur goal here is to learn and to better ourselves and better humanity. I mean, that鈥檚 a life well lived.鈥�

His advice is simple: recognize that you will never have all the answers. Keep questioning. Keep working. Keep learning.

鈥淛ust keep at it,鈥� Barham said. 鈥淜eep grinding, keep learning.鈥�

For a physician-scientist whose career began with an interest in kinesiology and has led to discoveries he could not have imagined as an 蘑菇tv undergraduate, it is advice grounded in experience.

And perhaps that is the most fitting part of Barham鈥檚 蘑菇tv story: more than two decades after earning his kinesiology degree, he is still doing what his 蘑菇tv teachers and mentors first encouraged him to do 鈥� aim high, stay curious, and keep learning.