Amy Strauss '05 and Sunjya Schweig '91

Scientifically Speaking

Amy Strauss '05 and Dr. Sunjya Schweig '91

Amy Strauss and Dr. Sunjya Schweig each make their living from exploring the hidden connections that explain how the natural world works, and each is back at MA for a second time. As founder and director of the California Center for Functional Medicine, Sunjya helps patients with chronic conditions identify and holistically address the root causes of their symptoms and is parent to Kaia '19 and Kiva '23. And Amy, pursuing a Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, came back to MA last year to teach science and to help introduce students to the world of scientific research as head of the Marin Academy Research Collaborative (MARC). Amy and Sunjya recently met up to talk about how curiosity, creativity, and passion have powered their scientific careers and how their time at Marin Academy ignited their spirit of inquiry and desire to help others search for meaningful connections. Sunjya and Amy both said their trips with the Outings Program shaped the paths they pursued after graduation. In addition to many trips to places like Pinnacles National Park and the N— apali Coast of Kauai, Amy took a semester-long outdoor skills elective in her senior year, where she learned about trip planning and risk management. After graduation, Amy headed off to Whiteman College, earning a bachelor's degree in biology and environmental studies with a minor in music, and continued to engage in outdoor adventure as much as possible.

After undergrad, Amy held a range of positions—from performing biological fieldwork in the Dominican Republic to handling music licensing for an ad agency in New York City. Eventually, she took a role supporting research within the Vertebrate Zoology Division at the American Museum of Natural History, and then made the decision to pursue her own research as a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her graduate research explores the evolution of birdsong, a system with many biological parallels to human speech. She also prioritizes scientific outreach, communication, and community-building. For example, she cohosts The Animal Behavior Podcast, where she interviews leading researchers in the field, and she blogs about science education and new research findings for outlets including Scientific American. "My interest in biological research stemmed from a sense of curiosity and comfort in the outdoors that I developed at MA. That ultimately led to my pursuit of a career centered around being outside and using research to look more closely at the natural world," Amy said.

Sunjya remembers MA outings in cross-country skiing at Yosemite and rock climbing at Joshua Tree National Park. "The outdoors was and is a guiding force for my choice to go into science and medicine," Sunjya said. From Marin Academy, he went on to UC Berkeley for undergrad, medical school at UC Irvine, and residency at the UCSF, Santa Rosa Family Practice program. In 2014, Sunjya founded the California Center for Functional Medicine.

Sunjya practices functional medicine, an approach to treating patients that constantly searches for the root cause of a patient' s health concern. He described his work while conjuring an image of a tree. "The outer leaves and branches are where most doctors and medical specialties work. The focus is on pruning back the final manifestations of disease, for example, using medicine to lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, or lower cholesterol," he said. "But in our practice, we' re interested in why those imbalances are happening in the first place and in seeing how far down the cause chain we can intervene." Sunjya helps patients navigate nutrition, stress, sleep, and environmental issues to treat health problems at the root. "My work is grounded in a deep respect for what our bodies can do and how everything is connected—both within our bodies, but also to our communities and our environment," he said.

In addition to his clinical practice, Sunjya leads research into holistic treatments for tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. He recently launched a nonprofit, the Functional Medicine Research and Technology Center, through which he's pursuing grant funding for further research. He traces some of his early interest in research to his science classes with Mark Stefanski, who retired from MA in 2021. "I remember Mark' s awesome energy, excitement, and lots of corny jokes. He helped instill in me a real love of science from the early days," Sunjya said. He also sought mentorship from history teacher James Shipman (also fondly remembered by Amy). "He encouraged me to think broadly and make connections," Sunjya said. While at MA, Amy was particularly passionate about history and politics. She remembers listening to news of the 9/11 attacks while carpooling from her home in the East Bay to Marin Academy in the fall of her freshman year. The aftermath of that event, along with a group of inspiring MA history teachers and multiple politicallyengaged student groups on campus, led her to dabble in history during her senior year, to lead a session during the first ever Conference on Democracy, and to participate in MA's International Studies Emphasis concentration lead by Spanish teacher John Petrovsky (also fondly remembered by Sunjya). Since graduating from Marin Academy, Amy's academic focus has shifted in the direction

My work is grounded of science and research, but she maintains a passion for history and in a deep respect for politics and sees many relevant and timely interconnections between what our bodies can the two fields. do and how everything Amy says her most rewarding career moments have come from is connected—both mentoring students in scientific research. She taught science classes within our bodies, but and mentored research students at the University of Massachusetts, also to our communities Amherst, Brooklyn College in New York, and Towson University and our environment. in Maryland before taking the faculty position at Marin Academy in 2021. "I've met people who' ve gotten all the way to grad school in biology without having much of an understanding of how research works, how we acquire knowledge, and what asking questions and SUNJYA SCHWEIG '91 making discoveries really entails," she said. "So I've really enjoyed exposing students to research and helping them get excited about seeking new knowledge. I was excited when this position opened up for the Marin Academy Research Collaborative Coordinator." Through MARC, students pursue independent research in their chosen scientific realm. Amy teaches classes in research literacy and experimental design and helps scholars connect with working scientists for mentorship and networking. "The program provides robust structure and support to enable students to engage in authentic and novel research," Amy said.