SHIRLEY A. JACKSON
SHIRLEY A. JACKSON (1946– ), a theoretical physicist, became in 1973 the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After conducting research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and at the European Center for Nuclear Research, Dr. Jackson joined AT&T Bell Laboratories, where her research work is concentrated on theoretical material sciences. She has made important contributions to several areas of physics and, for her work, was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She served as chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1995 to 1999, when she was appointed as President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
DONALD R. HOPKINS
DONALD R. HOPKINS (1941– ), a recognized authority on domestic and international health, is a leader in the global eradication of smallpox. He has chaired and served on numerous international committees on health research, immunization, and epidemiology. An educator of health professionals, Dr. Hopkins long has been associated with the Harvard School of Public Health and Morehouse School of Medicine. He received the Medal of Excellence from the Centers for Disease Control and was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 1987.
JOHN L.S. HOLLOMAN, JR.
JOHN L.S. HOLLOMAN, JR. (1919–), is a medical administrator. In Dr. Hollo-man’s extensive teaching and public health career, he has served as professor of public health and health administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and on the staff of the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. Congress. His posts have included the presidency of the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation and of the National Medical Association as well as the national chairmanship of the Medical Committee for Human Rights. Dr. Holloman is medical director of the W. F. Ryan Community Health Center in New York City.
W. LINCOLN HAWKINS
W. LINCOLN HAWKINS (1911–1992), a pioneer in chemical engineering and the uses of plastics, was a leader in discovering the factors limiting the life of plastics and in developing life-extending additives as a practical means for conservation of materials. His work led to the invention of the synergistic system of chemical stabilization used throughout the world in the manufacture of plastic cable sheath. Dr. Hawkins’ research was of significant importance in developing ways to recycle plastics. In 1975 he was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering.
RUBY PURYEAR HEARN
RUBY PURYEAR HEARN (1940– ) graduated from Skidmore College and then attended Yale University, where she received an M.S. and Ph.D. in biophysics. Dr. Hearn has spent most of her professional life on the staff of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest health care philanthropy in the United States. In her current position as senior vice president, Dr. Hearn participates in strategic program planning and as the Foundation’s liaison within the non-profit community. Dr. Hearn has had major responsibility for oversight and development of initiatives in maternal, infant, and child health; AIDS; substance abuse; and minority medical education. Dr. Hearn is a fellow of the Yale Corporation and a member of the Institute of Medicine; the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy of the National Academy of Sciences; and the Science Board of the Food and Drug Administration.
BEATRIX A. HAMBURG
BEATRIX A. HAMBURG (1923– ) is a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry of the Cornell University College of Medicine. She has had a long career in academic medicine. She is a former President of the William T. Grant Foundation, which supports research on the development of children, adolescents, and youth, and has served on the faculties of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Hamburg received her A.B. from Vassar College and her M.D. from the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Hamburg is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Royal Society of Medicine, and a member of the Institute of Medicine. She has participated in many studies sponsored by the Institute of Medicine, the National Research Council, and other organizations. As a medical researcher, Dr. Hamburg is most noted for her studies of early adolescence, pioneering work on peer counseling, and studies of diabetic children and adolescents.
EVELYN BOYD GRANVILLE
EVELYN BOYD GRANVILLE (1924– ) is a graduate of Smith College and Yale University, where in 1949 she became the first black woman in the United States to receive a doctoral degree in mathematics. After several years with the National Bureau of Standards, Dr. Granville spent 12 years in private industry specializing in orbital computations, celestial mechanics, numerical analysis, and digital computer techniques in support of the Mercury Project (the first U.S. manned mission in space), and the Apollo Project. Dr. Granville subsequently joined the faculty of California State University, Los Angeles, teaching courses in computer programming and numerical analysis as well as coauthoring a college textbook for prospective elementary school teachers on the teaching of mathematics. Dr. Granville currently resides in East Texas, where she remains active in the field of education through visits to schools to encourage the study of mathematics and the presentation of workshops to strengthen the teaching of mathematics.
JAMES RAPHAEL GAVIN III
JAMES RAPHAEL GAVIN III (1945– ) is a senior scientific officer of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Gavin, who received a Ph.D. from Emory University and an M.D. from Duke University Medical School, has pioneered research in insulin-resistant diabetes and hormone action in diabetes mellitus. Dr. Gavin is a member of the board of trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the board of the American Society of Law, Medicine, and Ethics. He was awarded the Banting Medal for Distinguished Service by the American Diabetes Association in 1994, and in 1995 the E.E. Just Award by the American Society for Cell Biology. In 1996 Dr. Gavin was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine.
VERNICE FERGUSON
VERNICE FERGUSON was a Senior Fellow in the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, holding the Fagin Family Chair in Cultural Diversity from 1993–1997. From 1980 to 1992 she was the Assistant Chief Medical Director for Nursing Programs in the Department of Veterans Affairs. In this position she was responsible for the largest organized nursing service in the world, with more than 60,000 nursing personnel. Prior to this assignment, she was the Chief of the Nursing Department at the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom, the second American nurse so honored. She is the recipient of eight honorary doctorates and two fellowships, one in physics, the other in alcohol studies.
WILLIAM E.B. DuBOIS
WILLIAM E.B. DuBOIS (1868–1963), social scientist, teacher, author, and political activist was an avid advocate for civil rights for all people. Dr. DuBois earned his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1895. A founder of the national Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and for many years editor of The Crisis magazine, Dr. DuBois is considered the first African American sociologist and is noted as a major interpreter of American history and culture. Dr. DuBois was a founder and leader of the pan-Africa movement and a founder of the Niagara Movement, an organization of African American intellectuals who promoted civil rights. Dr. DuBois was the author of nineteen books. His classic work is The Souls of Black Folk.