When Dr. Brad Forlow initially contacted the Institute for Creation Research, he was just looking for part-time work while he was in school.
But when hiring representatives saw that his resume included an impressive biomedical research background, he was asked instead to help edit science materials. Recently, he came on board as ICR’s Associate Science Editor.
“I started developing an interest in science in high school,” he said. “I took quite a few physics and chemistry classes. I had already chosen to go into engineering in college.”
He received his B.S. in chemical engineering in 1993 from the Florida Institute of Technology. When he looked into attending graduate school, he said he started becoming interested in the application of engineering to human systems and pharmaceuticals.
So, he attended the University of Oklahoma and received his Ph.D. in 1998. Although his degree at Oklahoma was also in chemical engineering, his research was in biomedical engineering, specifically on how white blood cells are recruited to fight infection and inflammation.
After receiving his doctorate, he took a research faculty position at the University of Virginia and continued his studies of white blood cells. “But I was looking at various animal models and getting more disease-related models,” Dr. Forlow said. He also researched how white blood cells are regulated in bone marrow while they are being produced.
In 2002, his interest in pharmaceuticals led him to leave the university and work for Bristol-Myers-Squibb doing drug discovery research, mostly focused on asthma and arthritis projects. After three years, he went to work with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, now owned by Pfizer, to do clinical research focused on Alzheimer’s and asthma, as well as managing a lab that tested samples from clinical trials.
However, in 2008 Dr. Forlow made a dramatic career move from science to ministry. He came with his family to Texas and started attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. He anticipates graduating with his Master of Divinity degree in either the spring or fall of 2012.
“I’ve always had an interest in apologetics,” he said. “And then with my science background, creation science was just a natural fit for me.”
“I’ve definitely become more passionate about creation science with my children in public schools [and learning about evolution]. I have to come alongside and teach them what the Bible says and show them that science actually supports the biblical account.”
So far, Dr. Forlow has worked on a number of science-related projects at ICR, including various books and the Science Education Essentials curriculum supplements. He is also busy on a writing project that will produce a series of science-related booklets over the next couple of years. In addition, Dr. Forlow has started speaking at homeschool and Christian school conferences.
“But something that’s been a passion of mine is creating a small group or Sunday school material that’s focused on developing a biblical creation worldview from Genesis 1–11,” he said. “It would combine a study of Genesis 1–11 with the evolutionary thoughts and theories out there and how to combat those and show a bit of the data that really support the Genesis account.”
Earlier this year, Dr. Forlow put together a 10-week Sunday school curriculum with this focus, and he used it to teach at his church. “It was well-received, and people were very interested in it because these are things that they had a lot of questions revolving around science and evolution. So, it was good timing to teach it.”
Since its inception over 40 years ago, ICR has been looking for and finding answers to many of those same questions on science and evolution. Dr. Forlow’s expertise will no doubt help continue that effort.
* Ms. Dao is Assistant Editor at the Institute for Creation Research.
Cite this article: Dao, C. 2011. Speaker Profile: Dr. Brad Forlow. Acts & Facts. 40 (11): 19.
