Public Health Heroes!

Nilufar Kayhani graduated with her bachelors in public health from UC Berkeley in May 2022. Kayhani is the child of Afghan refugees and is committed to resolving health inequities among forcibly displaced communities. Motivated to address the health needs she witnessed growing up, Nilufar decided to pursue a career in public health. During her time at UC Berkeley, she initiated multiple community-based participatory research projects with historically marginalized populations. Nilufar is passionate about health equity and ensuring all communities have access to the resources they need. Kayhani is the co-founder of the Afghan Clinic, a health education initiative by and for Afghans, dedicated to promoting the wellbeing and agency of Afghan people. The program not only provides health education relevant to Afghan people, it provides public health services in order to promote the strength, wellbeing, and autonomy of the people it serves. Thank you, Nilufar Kayhani, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. Salvador Moncada is a Honduran-British Pharmacologist and professor born in 1944. He studied medicine at the University of El Salvador, and earned his doctorate at Royal College of Surgeons in London. His research has contributed substantially to the understanding of cardiovascular disease and diabetes treatment. Dr. Moncada helped discover how aspirin works in the body, which led to the use of low doses of aspirin as a preventative tool in millions of people. He also contributed to the development of many life saving medications. Despite his contributions to public health, Dr. Moncada was not considered for a Nobel prize with his colleagues for their work in cardiovascular disease. Today, he is spearheading initiatives to improve medical education programs in Latin America. Thank you, Dr. Moncada, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. Margaret Chung lived from 1889 to 1959. Dr. Chung was born in Santa Barbara in 1889 to Chinese immigrants and was the oldest of 11 children. She studied at the University of Southern California, obtaining her bachelor's and medical degrees. She was the first American born Chinese woman to become a physician. She was originally rejected by her medical missionary due to her race, but instead worked as a surgical nurse and did her medical residency in Chicago. She started one of the first Western Medical Clinics located in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1920s, providing care to chinese immigrants who often had no access to care. She supported hundreds of military servicemen who lovingly referred to her as their adopted mom. During World War 2, she used her influence to work for the allied war effort, sending letters, gifts, and care packages to her adopted children on the front lines. She was also known for hosting weekly dinners for these family members. She fought for the creation of WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, which allowed women to join the military. Thank you, Dr. Chung, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías lived from 1929 to 2001. Dr. Trías studied at the University of Puerto Rico and graduated in 1960, completed her residency in Pediatrics and began teaching there. She established Puerto Rico’s first infant health clinic, and her efforts paid off, reducing infant mortality by 50 percent. Dr. Trias moved to New York in 1970 and headed the Pediatrics department at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, serving primarily Black and Latino patients. In the 1980s, she worked as the medical director of the New York State AIDS Institute and co-founded the hispanic caucus of the American Public Health Association. She was the first Latina to be elected President of this famous organization. She fought for women’s reproductive rights and to end sexism in healthcare, while fighting against forced sterilization of women some countries used as population control. In 2001, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal. Thank you, Dr. Rodriguez Trías, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Lisa Pivec was born in 1969, and is a Cherokee Nation citizen in Oklahoma. She has worked for the Nation for over 25 years, most recently serving as Cherokee Nation's senior director of Public Health. Under her leadership, Cherokee Nation Health Services became the first accredited tribal public health department in the United States. The Cherokee Nation public health department educates citizens on healthy eating and exercise habits, and also provides a large number of prevention programs for Cherokee people. Pivec and the Nation's Health Services received the Public Health Innovation Award, which is given to organizations that best exemplify the advancement of public health for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. Cherokee Nation Health Services currently operates the largest tribal-run health system in the country, with more than one million patient visits per year. Thank you, Lisa Pivec, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. Min Chueh Chang was a Chinese American scientist who lived from 1908 to 1991. He was born in Dunhòu, China. He earned his bachelors in animal psychology at Tsinghua University. He went on to receive his doctorate in animal breeding from Cambridge. Dr. Chang would go on to pioneer techniques in reproductive biology, running a number of high profile research initiatives in the US, primarily at Yale University. Dr. Chang was a vital contributor to the birth control movement in the US because of his involvement in developing the first birth control pill using estrogen and progestin. His research into animal reproduction laid the ground work for in vitro fertilization, leading to the first baby born through IVF in 1978. This would allow millions of parents to have children who were not previously able to do so. Thank you, Dr. Chang, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. Minnie Joycelyn Elders was born in 1933 in Schaal, Arkansas. In her youth, she worked as a Nurse’s Aid until she graduated from Philander Smith College with a bachelor's in Biology. She joined the U.S. Army in 1953, becoming a second Lieutenant. She then attended the University of Arkansas Medical School receiving her doctorate of medicine in Pediatrics and a Masters in Biochemistry. She was the first African American to be appointed Surgeon General of the United States, from 1993 to 1994 in which she worked on reducing rates of teen pregnancy by ways of sexual education in schools, counseling, and birth control at clinics around the nation. She was asked to resign in 1994 by President Bill Clinton due to the fact that she publicly supported teaching youths about masturbation, which some deemed too controversial. However, she has no regrets. She continued working to increase sexual education in minority communities as well as advocating for the concerns of pregnant diabetic women. She continues advocacy work today. Focusing on child immunization rates, screening for sexually transmitted infections, and medical care for elderly patients. Thank you Dr. Elders, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. Sherman A James is an epidemiologist who was born in 1944. After receiving his PhD in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, Dr. James began his research, studying social determinants of health in relationship to discrimination. His most well-known hypothesis is “John Henryism” which describes the phenomenon of African Americans having shorter lifespans than their white counterparts due to exposure to persistent and long-term social stressors. His work shows that premature death in African Americans is linked to hypertension and cardiovascular disease caused by long-term exposure to stress from discrimination and racism. He is the first African American president of the Society for Epidemiologic Research. He is currently a Professor of Public Policy at the Sandford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Thank you, Dr. James, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Faye Wattleton was born in 1943 in St. Louis Missouri. Her family would often travel for work, which meant she had to stay with other family members and friends. During that time frame, she developed her future interest in Family planning and Reproductive rights. She graduated from Ohio State University at age 20 (began at age 16) and obtained her Bachelor of Nursing, in which she worked at a Children's hospital that cared for children who were abused and otherwise neglected by their families. She graduated from Columbia University with her Master's in Maternal and Infant Care and joined the Dayton Ohio Health Department and the board of Planned Parenthood, eventually becoming the president, and being the first African American Woman to lead the organization. Her research and assistance in reproductive rights came during the time of Roe v Wade and should be mentioned at her work may have provided valuable information in the decision to enact the law in 1973. More recently, she led the Center for the Advancement of Women until 2010. Thank you, Faye Wattleton, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. Jane Cooke Wright, lived from 1919 to 2013.Born in Manhattan, New York, she decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and became a Physician, graduating from New York Medical College at the top of her class. Her early medical career had her working in Cancer Research at Harlem Hospital, studying chemotherapy drugs and treatments.At age 33, she was appointed Head of Cancer Research, leading programs studying stroke, heart disease, and cancer at the New York University Medical Center. In 1964, she was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to the Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke and became the founding member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, representing 40,000 oncology professionals. At a time when African American women physicians numbered only a few hundred in the entire United States, Dr. Wright was the highest ranked African American woman at a nationally recognized medical institution. Thank you, Dr. Wright, for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Born in North Carolina, she had an innate interest in inventing as her father and grandfather were known inventors at the time. She initially went to Howard University, but due to financial limitations, was unable to continue school. She also faced sexism and discrimination. During this period in history, women were much less likely to pursue higher education or gain scientific training due to these factors. She pursued her passion for inventing and eventually made the sanitary belt and had it patented, but when the company and investors found out she was a woman of color, they ultimately denied her invention, and when the patent expired, began their development of her invention, unfortunately leaving her out. Her most well-known invention was the sanitary pad used in menstruation. She has the most patents of any Black Woman in United States history and will always be remembered for her contributions to personal health and hygiene. Thank you, Mary Davidson Kenner for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. Roscoe Conkling Brown Senior, lived from 1884 to 1963. Born in Washington D.C., he had an early interest in Public Health and Dentistry, and he graduated from Howard University with his Dental Degree in 1906. While practicing, he became an instructor of Oral Hygiene and Sanitation For the Richmond Hospital School of Nursing. Dr. Brown was a founding member of the Office of Negro Health Work and worked in the US Public Health Service. He helped develop educational materials about health concerns for those in the Black Community. He also served in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's “Black Cabinet” which helped to improve the lives of those in the Black community during Roosevelt’s New Deal from 1933 to 1939. Thank you, Dr. Conkling Brown for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.

Dr. James McCune Smith lived from 1813 to 1865. He is known as the first African American Medical Doctor. He was denied admission to multiple universities in the United States, but due to his unwavering determination, he sought education in Scotland at the University of Glasgow and received not only his Bachelor's degree but his Master's and Medical degrees. Dr. McCune Smith took part in multiple anti-slavery movements, and served as a main contributor in the eventual abolishment of slavery. Among many other accomplishments, he worked tirelessly to increase knowledge of the current standing of the Black community to seek condition improvements, and he opened the first black-owned pharmacy. Thank you Dr. McCune Smith for being a public health hero! This biography is based on publicly available information and was edited by Hugh Dunn and Adam Graczyk.