CHARLES HENRY TURNER
CHARLES HENRY TURNER (1867–1923) was a biologist, neurologist, psychologist, and chemist who made an international reputation as a researcher in animal behavior, concentrating on bees and ants. In 1907 Dr. Turner was a delegate to the Seventh International Zoological Congress and in 1912 he became one of the few African Americans elected to membership in the Academy of Sciences of St. Louis. Dr. Turner served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati and was head of the science department at Clark University, Atlanta, Georgia.
REED V. TUCKSON
REED V. TUCKSON (1951– ) has dedicated his career to improving the health and well-being of residents of urban communities, particularly minorities and children. Dr. Tuckson is currently the group vice president for professional standards at the American Medical Association. He is also the immediate past president of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, one of only four historically black medical schools west of the Mississippi. Dr. Tuckson has also served as a senior vice president of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and as the commissioner of public health of the District of Columbia. Dr. Tuckson is a member of the Institute of Medicine and has served on advisory committees and boards associated with the Institute of Medicine, the National Black Leadership Institute on Cancer, and other organizations. Awards received by Dr. Tuckson include the Gene Frey award for community service from the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C.
LOUIS W. SULLIVAN
LOUIS W. SULLIVAN (1933– ) is a medical researcher, educator, and adviser to the federal government. From 1989 to 1992 he served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He was founding dean and director of the medical education program at Morehouse College and first dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Sullivan has served as director of hematology, the field of his major research work, at Boston University City Hospital and was project director of the Boston Sickle Cell Center. He has received numerous honors and awards and has been recognized with a mastership in the American College of Physicians. He has been a member of the Institute of Medicine since 1975.
MITCHELL W. SPELLMAN
MITCHELL W. SPELLMAN (1919– ) is director of International Exchange Programs at Harvard Medical International and dean (emeritus) for International Projects, dean (emeritus) for Medical Services, and professor of surgery (emeritus) at Harvard Medical School. He has served as dean and executive dean of the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School and as professor of surgery and assistant dean at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from three universities and numerous awards, including the Dillard University Distinguished Alumnus Award, the William A. Sinkler Award of the National Medical Association, and a creative award from the Charles R. Drew Medical School Foundation. A member of the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Spellman has chaired IOM’s Program Committee and served as a member of the Governing Council.
JOHN B. SLAUGHTER
JOHN B. SLAUGHTER (1934– ), a computer scientist, is president of Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. He has served as chancellor of the University of Maryland and as director of the National Science Foundation. Dr. Slaughter is best known for his work on the development of computer algorithms for system optimization and discrete signal processing, with emphasis on application to ocean and environmental system problems. He is the recipient of 21 honorary degrees, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association of Science, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He was the first person to be honored as the Black Engineer of the Year. He was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in 1982.
HERBERT C. SCURLOCK
HERBERT C. SCURLOCK (1875–1952) was a biochemist who pioneered the application of radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer and the use of x-ray to diagnose dental problems. He was a professor of physiological chemistry. Dr. Scurlock’s Textbook on Quantitative Chemical Analysis, published in 1915, is available as a reference at the Library of Congress.
VIVIAN W. PINN
VIVIAN W. PINN is the first full-time Director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an appointment she has held since 1991. In 1994, she was also named Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health (NIH). She came to the NIH from Howard University College of Medicine where she had been Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology since 1982. In this position, she became the third woman to chair an academic department of Pathology in the U.S. She had previously held appointments at Tufts University and Harvard Medical School. She earned her B.A. from Wellesley College and received her M.D. from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She also served as the 88th President of the National Medical Association (and second woman president) during 1989-1990.
SAMUEL M. NABRIT
SAMUEL M. NABRIT (1905– ) is a biologist with a long and distinguished career in science education. Dr. Nabrit currently directs the National Fellowships Fund of the Council of Southern Universities, which supports approximately 560 African Americans earning doctoral degrees that will lead to careers in higher education. As an educator, Dr. Nabrit served Atlanta University for 23 years as a professor of biology and dean, and he was the second president of Texas Southern University in Houston. Dr. Nabrit has also served as president of the National Institute of Science (1945) and as a member of the National Science Board (1956) and the Atomic Energy Commission (1966). Dr. Nabrit is a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine.
GARRETT AUGUSTUS MORGAN, Sr.
GARRETT AUGUSTUS MORGAN, Sr. (1877–1963) was the son of former slaves and devoted his life to creating items that made the lives of common people safer and more convenient. Firefighters in many cities in the early 1900s wore the safety helmet and gas mask that Mr. Morgan invented and for which he was awarded a gold medal at the Second International Exposition of Safety and Sanitation in New York in 1914. The gas mask Morgan invented in 1912 (patent no. 1,113,675) was also used during World War I to protect soldiers from chlorine gas. In 1916, Mr. Morgan made national news for using his gas mask to rescue several men trapped by a gas explosion in a tunnel being constructed under Lake Erie. Mr. Morgan was honored with two gold medals for his heroic efforts. His automated traffic signal (patent no. 1,475,024 ) featured a third position that halted traffic in all directions between Stop and Go. These signals were the basis for modern traffic signal systems and remained in use until they were replaced with the light signal devices used today.
SAMUEL P. MASSIE
SAMUEL P. MASSIE (1919– ) is professor of chemistry (emeritus) at the U.S. Naval Academy where he served on the faculty from 1966 to 1994. In 1994 the U.S. Department of Energy joined AIME, a coalition of Fortune 100 companies, in establishing a Samuel P. Massie Chair of Excellence in Environmental Sciences at each of the ten historically black college and university engineering schools. As widely recognized for his efforts to encourage young people in the sciences as for his scientific achievement, in March 1996 the American Chemical Society awarded him the Dreyfuss Award for his work in developing future careers in chemistry. His 1954 Chemical Reviews article, "The Chemistry of Phenothiazine," is considered a classic in the field. Dr. Massie is currently vice president of Bingwa Software Company, which develops curricula using multicultural models.