Post by Dr. Delainey Carlisle on Dec 20, 2014 0:20:41 GMT
Name: Delainey Jackelyn Carlisle, M.D., Ph.D.
Rank: Lieutenant Junior Grade
Position: Assistant Chief Counselor/Junior Medical Officer
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Date of Birth: December 15, 2354
Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, Earth
Description:
Delainey is tall and slender, but not at all athletic, and prefers to watch what she eats rather than engage in regular physical exercise. She’ll occasionally run to clear her head, but her pale complexion reflects a preference for indoor activities over those outdoors.
Personality:
Growing up, Delainey learned “doing” was prized far more than “talking.” Consequently, at times, she is quite reserved, preferring to simply observe and speak when spoken to. With friends, or when speaking of her work, however, she can be much more outgoing and speaks with far more passion than people expect. She uses sarcasm and humor to put people at ease, and is cool under pressure. Friends and family call her Lainey.
Delainey is a skilled diagnostician and practitioner who has the experience, in and out of the fleet, to excel in whatever medical or counseling position she is called to serve. She is not the type to rest on her laurels, however, and makes it a priority to stay informed of the latest research. Carlisle is not easily intimidated, but doesn’t like to throw her weight around, unless she thinks it will get her what she needs for her patients. She will pursue what is best for those she works with, no matter the consequence. She is well-regarded as a supervisor and is respected by experienced and inexperienced clinicians alike.
Over the years, Carlisle’s contempt for the bureaucracy of Starfleet has grown, though she still believes strongly in its ideals and principles. She is a team player, but considers herself a healer first and foremost, and has been known to be somewhat vocal and irreverent when it comes to what she considers to be the ridiculous rules and regulations surrounding Starfleet and its treatment of mental health professionals.
Having grown up in a family where she didn’t feel as though she quite fit in, Delainey’s greatest desire is to find a man to share her life with and to have children. However, she is equally passionate about her career and understands the two desires aren’t very compatible. She is proud of her rank and position, primarily because with it comes greater power to help alleviate suffering, but as long as she is free to make a difference and permitted her independence, she is happy.
History:
Delainey’s life, or rather, what she knows of her life, began at age two. She was adopted by Patrick and Tierney Carlisle, Irish immigrants who settled in San Francisco, California after she was reportedly abandoned by her birth parents in a church. Delainey has no real memory of her life before age two, only a vague recollection of losing her teddy bear when she was taken into the custody of social services. However, the story’s been told so many times, it feels as real and as vivid as an actual memory.
Tierney and Patrick were civilian cargo haulers who frequently did business for Starfleet. They were full of love, and content to just scrape by. They doted on Delainey and always provided for her needs, but devalued material possessions and higher learning, believing after a certain point, education and possessions were simply a way for people to look down upon others.
Growing up with free-spirits like Patrick and Tierney was a dream come true for a curious and outgoing girl like Delainey. They encouraged her to explore their world freely, and as she matured, she learned the cargo trade with ease. Although her parents had their own disagreements with Starfleet and its hierarchal nature, they found her curiosity about Starfleet endearing, and so they introduced her to the personnel they interacted with at most every opportunity. Delainey was particularly drawn to the healers she interacted with, in part because of her curiosity about the nature and purpose of the medical supplies her parents transported.
On those rare occasions when they were called upon to ferry people here and there, Delainey was often praised for being easy to talk to, despite the cramped conditions. As a young child, Delainey thought nothing of it, convinced she would follow in her parents’ footsteps. In school, she did well, but was always afraid to excel too well, out of fear of becoming the dreaded “elitist” her parents always railed against.
Delainey’s internal struggles came to a head when she announced she wanted to pursue a career in Starfleet. Though her parents refused to turn their backs on her, the resentment was always there. After several nasty arguments, her parents asked Delainey not to bring it up again, and thus, it became the “elephant” in the room between them. From that point on, her parents were cordial, but always not quite warm with her.
Feeling she had nothing to lose at that point, Delainey threw herself into her studies. She wasn’t the most outgoing of students, but she did develop a close circle of friends, and managed to excel in her classes. No longer frowned upon for excelling beyond her beginnings, Delainey allowed her interest in medicine to flourish. A professor took note of her natural curiosity about people and what drove them to be who they were (in part based on Carlisle’s research on adopted children), and suggested she pursue a career in mental health.
Carlisle agreed to consider it, but fully intended to become a general practitioner. By the time she entered Starfleet Medical, the Dominion War was in full swing, and cadets were inundated with stories of personnel returning in desperate need of proper mental health care. Deciding she simply wanted to serve where she could be of most use, Delainey decided to pursue degrees in emergency medicine and a Ph.D. in forensic psychology with a trauma counseling specialization. Medicine seemed the perfect complement to her training in mental health.
Her first posting, the USS Reliant, turned out to be a memorable one. There, she met and befriended then acting Chief Medical Officer, Charlotte Kelly. Though Carlisle was too young to have served in the Dominion War directly, the two bonded over their efforts to treat the physical and psychological wounds from the conflict. Carlisle knew Gray was still reeling from her own experiences, and Delainey became a close friend and confidante.
Delainey remained on the Reliant with Kelly for the next year, eventually earning the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. Shortly after Kelly was transferred to the USS Voltaire, however, and Carlisle received devastating news: her adoptive parents had been murdered after being caught in the middle of what apparently was a dispute between Starfleet and some pirates, who claimed Carlisle’s parents as collateral damage for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Grief-stricken, Delainey needed time to regroup and figure out her next move. As more details of the murders came to light – including the fact Starfleet knew the area her parents were asked to travel was known disputed territory for pirates who didn’t care who got hurt- Delainey’s anger and pain overwhelmed her. She contemplated resigning her commission altogether, but ultimately took a position as a trauma counselor and instructor at Starfleet Medical Academy.
Although Delainey knew she would never completely forgive Starfleet for what she saw as a betrayal, she knew it would dishonor her parents’ memories not to follow her passion as a healer and researcher. When she learned the research vessel USS Galileo was looking for a Chief Counselor, she decided to apply, hoping to put some of her demons behind her.
After several months, the Galileo brass decided to merge the counseling department with the medical department. Citing the vessel's smaller size and limited resources, the merger was believed to be a more efficient use of those resources, and it was thought to be a way to increase communication between the healthcare staff for collaborative care. To that end, Starfleet Medical asked Delainey to step down as Chief Counselor exclusively so that she could put her dual medical and mental health training to best use.
Carlisle enjoyed her two years aboard Galileo, but she and the Starfleet Medical brass eventually agreed her skills and experience would be better utilized elsewhere. She was assigned to the Miranda class USS Portland as a counselor and medical officer.
Service Record:
2369-2373: Starfleet Academy
2373-2377: Starfleet Medical Academy (Dual specialties in Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry)
2377 – 2379: Starfleet Medical (Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology with a specialization in Trauma Therapy)
2379- 2380: Ensign, Medical Officer/Counselor, USS Reliant
March, 2380 – September 2380: Lieutenant j/g, Medical Officer/Counselor, USS Reliant
September 2380 -2389: Trauma Counselor/Counseling Instructor, Starfleet Medical Academy
2389 - 2389: Chief Counselor, USS Galileo
2389-2391: Counselor/Medical Officer, USS Galileo
Present: Assistant Chief Counselor, USS Portland
