Elizabeth Bowman
Name: Elizabeth Bowman
Hometown: Originally from Roanoke, Va., Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in Warsaw, Ind., and considers it her hometown.
Current position: Psychiatrist in a part-time private practice and adjunct professor in the Department of Neurology at Indiana University School of Medicine.
Education: Received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Purdue in 1976, her M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed her psychiatry residency at Indiana University Hospitals. She also earned a Master of Sacred Theology from Christian Theological Seminary in 1987 to become more knowledgeable in her specialty area of how religion and psychiatry intersect.
A deep connection: Elizabeth says she chose psychiatry because it allows her to really get to know her patients. "I fell in love with psychiatry on my rotation in medical school. It's so rewarding and intellectually challenging trying to figure out why people do what they do. I knew I'd never be bored in psychiatry."
Solid decision: She spent her first two years of her college career at Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind., but transferred to Purdue her junior year. "I was familiar with campus because my brother went here. It was affordable and I wanted a good science school. It was a no-brainer."
Many memories: Although only at Purdue for two years, Elizabeth has many fond memories her time in West Lafayette. She participated in Judo Club, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and was a hall counselor for Earhart Hall. "I also remember going traying (sledding with cafeteria trays) on Slayter Hill in the middle of the night."
A survivor: Elizabeth had a health scare in 2002 when she was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor — the same kind that killed Ted Kennedy. "I was 48, and I thought, 'Game over.' " She was one of the few survivors of this type of tumor and went into remission 10 months after surgery. "I am extremely grateful to my Maker and grateful to be alive."
The beauty of life: Elizabeth enjoys flower gardening, quilting (her first quilt won a blue ribbon at the 2009 Indiana State Fair), photography, traveling the world and spending time with her husband and fellow psychiatrist, Philip Coons.