Ruth L. Kirschstein | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 12 October 1926 |
| Died | 6 October 2009 (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | Long Island University (BA) Tulane University School of Medicine (MD) |
| Known for | Polio vaccine safety research First woman appointed director of an NIH Institute |
| Spouse | Alan S. Rabson |
| Children | Arnold B. Rabson |
| Awards | Election to the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, U. S. Public Health Service (PHS) Superior Service Award (1978), the Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award (1980), PHS Special Recognition Award (1985), Presidential Distinguished Executive Rank Award (the highest honor for a career civil servant) (1985), and the Women of Achievement Award from the Jewish Anti-Defamation League (2000) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pathology, Government Administration |
Ruth Lillian Kirschstein (12 October 1926 – 6 October 2009) was an American pathologist and science administrator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Kirschstein served as director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, deputy director of NIH in the 1990s, and acting director of the NIH in 1993 and 2000-2002.[1]
She was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Institute of Medicine. In 2002, Congress renamed the NIH graduate student fellowship program to the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award in honor of Kirschstein's work at the NIH.[2]
Although she had trained as a classical pianist, she pursued medicine, graduating in 1947 from Long Island University and earning a Doctor of Medicine medical degree from Tulane University in 1951.[1] She interned in medicine and surgery at Kings County hospital and completed medical residencies in pathology at Providence Hospital in Detroit, Tulane University Hospital, and the Clinical Center at the NIH.[3]
- ^ a b "Pathologist Helped Ensure Vaccines' Safety", October 17, 2009, Washington Post
- ^ "Taken for Granted: NIH's Dr. Ruth" by Beryl Lieff Benderly, Science doi:10.1126/science.caredit.a0900150
- ^ Ruth L. Kirschstein, M.D., Maryland Women Hall of Fame