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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...