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#BlackCardioInHistory: Dr. Hannah A Valantine

This is part of the #BlackCardioInHistory series.  #AHAEarlyCareerVoice is partnering with #BlackInCardio to feature a series of profiles of black/African American Cardiologists for #BlackInCardioWeek2020.  For more information: blackincardio.com


(3) The NIH Director. Statement on the Retirement of Dr. Hannah Valantine. 9-1-2020. https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/statement-retirement-dr-hannah-valantine

Originally from The Gambia, West Africa, Hannah Valantine moved to London, where she studied Biochemistry and then obtained a medical degree from St. George’s Hospital Medical School in 1978 (1). She completed her post-graduate work in cardiology at two hospitals in London: Brompton and Hammersmith (2). She moved to the United States, where she was awarded an NIH Director’s Pathfinder Award for Diversity in the Scientific Workforce (2). She became a fellow and worked her way up to being a Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine before being appointed as Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Faculty Development in 2005 (1).

In 2014 Dr. Valantine was appointed as NIH’s first Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, a new position with the entire focus being on diversity in biomedicine (2).

During her time at the NIH, she established the Distinguished Scholars Program, which has had a dramatic, positive impact on the diversity of tenure-track investigators at NIH (3). To implement the recommendations of the NIH Equity Taskforce, she developed and implemented the first NIH Workplace Climate and Harassment Survey (3). This scientifically rigorous survey achieved a high response rate from NIH employees, contractors, fellows, and trainees who will have a lasting impact on institutions around the United States (3).

Dr. Valantine also designed the Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program which is aimed at creating cultures of inclusivity at NIH-funded institutions (3). She also pioneered a program to mentor and support scientists from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in writing effective grant applications (3).

In September 2020, Dr Valantine’s retirement was announced after what has been a truly remarkable career (3). Dr. Valentine’s career embodies the representation that institutions around the country and world are striving to have, and she is a role model for what other underrepresented scientists can achieve. Her work has and will continue to open doors for people in underrepresented groups in science and medicine.

 

Reference

  1. Hannah Valantine. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Valantine. Accessed 10-19-2020.2.
  2. Hannah Valantine, M.D., named NIH’s first Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity. 1-30-2014. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/hannah-valantine-md-named-nihs-first-chief-officer-scientific-workforce-diversity
  3. The NIH Director. Stetement on the Retirement of Dr. Hannah Valantine. 9-1-2020. https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/statement-retirement-dr-hannah-valantine

“The views, opinions and positions expressed within this blog are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent those of the American Heart Association. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them. The Early Career Voice blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.”

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#BlackCardioInHistory: A Profile of Dr. Charles Rotimi – Director of the Trans-National Institutes of Health (NIH) center for research in genomics and global health

This is part of #BlackCardioInHistory series.  #AHAEarlyCareerVoice is partnering with #BlackInCardio to feature a series of profiles of black/African American Cardiologists for #BlackInCardioWeek2020.  For more information: blackincardio.com


Photo Credit: Anna Azvolinsky (The scientist) https://www.the-scientist.com/profile/charles-rotimi-works-to-ensure-genetic-epidemiology-and-population-genetics-studies-include-dna-from-africannot-just-europeanpopulations–64818

Dr. Charles Rotimi (1957- ), originally from Benin city, Nigeria is the Director of the Trans-National Institutes of Health (NIH) center for research in genomics and global health (1, 2). Dr. Rotimi obtained his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Benin in Nigeria before immigrating to the United States for further studies (1). He started his education in the United States at the University of Mississippi, where he obtained a master’s degree in health care administration and then a second master’s degree and a doctorate in epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health (1). Dr. Rotimi was the director of the National Human Genome Center at Howard University before embarking on a new journey at the NIH (1).

In 2008  Dr. Rotimi joined the  NIH, He was instrumental in establishing the trans-institute Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health, with its mission to advance research in the role of culture, lifestyle, and genomics in disease etiology, health disparities, and variable drug response (1, 3). His lab develops genetic epidemiology models and conducts epidemiologic studies that explore the patterns and determinants of common complex diseases in human populations with particular emphasis on populations of the African Diaspora (1).

In 1994, his team published the first genome-wide scan for hypertension and blood pressure in African Americans and type-2 diabetes in West Africans (4). One important piece of this study is that Dr Rotimi and his team compiled genomic data from ~6,000 individuals and came up with 21 different global genetic ancestries (4). The research demonstrated that more than 97 percent of humans have mixed ancestry (4), indicating that the traditional race labels such as “Black,” “white,” and “Hispanic” are insufficient ways to classify humans.

Dr. Rotimi followed this up with another paper published in 1997 that examined over 10,000 samples to estimate the impact of environmental factors on geographically separated Black populations in the United States, Caribbean, and West Africa (5). This study found that Black men and women in the United States had significantly higher rates of hypertension compared to the Caribbean, which had higher hypertension rates than West Africa (5). The increased rates of hypertension track with traditional migration patterns and suggest that environmental factors, including psychosocial stress, play a large role (5).

R(5) Figure 3 from C Rotimi, R Cooper, G Cao, C Sundarum, D McGee. Familial aggregation of cardiovascular diseases in African-American pedigrees. Genet Epidemiol . 1994;11(5):397-407. doi: 10.1002/gepi.1370110502. *Note – Maywood refers to Maywood, Illinois (the site in the United States)

With such a distinguished career, it is of no surprise that Dr. Charles Rotimi has been elected on to many boards, being bestowed with an honorary professorship at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and even more impressively being elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2018 (1). Dr. Rotimi is a Senior Investigator within the Intramural Research Program at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the NIH (1). He has won the NIH Director’s Award for leading the establishment of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Initiative (2012) and he is the first person of African ancestry to be elected to the Board of the American Society of Human Genetics (1). He was also a recipient of the HudsonAlpha Life Science Prize in 2018 (1).

 

Reference

  1. Genome Collector: A Profile of Charles Rotimi. TheScientist. 9/30/2018. Anna Azvolinsky. https://www.the-scientist.com/profile/charles-rotimi-works-to-ensure-genetic-epidemiology-and-population-genetics-studies-include-dna-from-africannot-just-europeanpopulations–64818
  2. Charles N. Rotimi. Genome.gov. https://www.genome.gov/staff/Charles-N-Rotimi-PhD
  3. Charles Rotimi, Ph.D. Principle Investigator – IRP-NIH. https://irp.nih.gov/pi/charles-rotimi
  4. R Cooper, C Rotimi, S Ataman, D McGee, B Osotimehin, S Kadiri, W Muna, S Kingue, H Fraser, T Forrester, F Bennett, and R Wilks. The prevalence of hypertension in seven populations of west African origin. Am J Public Health. 1997 February; 87(2): 160–168.
  5. C Rotimi, R Cooper, G Cao, C Sundarum, D McGee. Familial aggregation of cardiovascular diseases in African-American pedigrees. Genet Epidemiol . 1994;11(5):397-407. doi: 10.1002/gepi.1370110502.

 

 

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#BlackCardioInHistory: Daniel Hale Williams – Pioneer in open-heart surgery in the United States

This is part of the #BlackCardioInHistory series.  #AHAEarlyCareerVoice is partnering with #BlackInCardio to feature a series of profiles of black/African American Cardiologists for #BlackInCardioWeek2020.  For more information: blackincardio.com


Daniel Hale Williams III was born to a family that owned a barber business and worked in the Equal Rights League in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1856 (1). Young Daniel moved to Baltimore as a young boy to become a shoemaker’s apprentice when his father died but did not like the work (1). His family had moved to Illinois, so he moved back with them and began barbering with the long-term goal of pursuing his education (1).

Daniel Hale Williams III apprenticed with Dr. Henry Palmer, who was an accomplished surgeon. From there, Daniel attended the Chicago Medical College (1).

(2) Daniel Hale Williams (Pre 1923 photograph, public domain). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Daniel_Hale_Williams.jpg From Wikipedia page: Daniel Hale Williams.

After completing medical school, Dr. Williams began to practice on Chicago’s south side while teaching anatomy at the Chicago Medical College (1). He was an early adopter of Louis Pasteur’s sterilization to prevent transmission of infection (1).

In the late 1880s in America, Black Americans were prevented from being admitted to hospitals and could not be hired at hospitals (1). While Black women had a long history of working as nurses, they were often denied opportunities for formal training (3). Dr. Daniel Hale Williams III disagreed with this practice and opened the Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses which was the first hospital in the United States that was racially integrated (1).

(3) Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses (36th and Dearborn Streets, Chicago). Chicago History Museum (ICHi-040212). https://www.chicagohistory.org/provident-hospital/. Brittany Hutchinson.

A few years later, in 1893, Dr. Williams treated a man with a significant stab wound to the chest, named James Cornish (1). Dr. Williams successfully sutured the man’s pericardium allowing Cornish to live for many years. Only 3 other surgeons, Dr. Francisco Romero, Dr. Henry Dalton, and Dr. Dominique Jean Larrey, have been credited as performing open-heart surgery previously (1,4). One year later, in 1894, Dr. Williams was appointed as Chief Surgeon of the Freedmen’s Hospital, which has seen a high relative mortality rate. He moved back to Chicago upon marrying Alice Johnson, where he continued working for Provident Hospital (1).

(2) Daniel Hale Williams (National Library of Medicine believes this to be public domain). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Daniel_H._Williams.jpg From Wikipedia page: Daniel Hale Williams.

In 1897 Dr. Williams was appointed to the Illinois Department of Public Health to increase medical standards in hospitals (2). In 1913, Dr. Williams was the only Black American member of the American College of Surgeons (5). Dr. Williams died in 1931 in Idlewild, Michigan from a stroke (2). Some of Dr. Williams’s honors include membership in the Chicago Surgical Society and American College of Surgeons, which were both uncommon for Black Americans at the time (2). Dr. Williams also received honorary degrees from Howard University in Washington DC and Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio (2).

 

Reference

  1. Biograhy.com Daniel Hale Williams Biography. 6/5/2020. https://www.biography.com/scientist/daniel-hale-williams. Accessed 10-19-2020.
  2. Daniel Hale Williams (Pre 1923 photograph, public domain). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Hale_Williams#cite_note-EB-6 From Wikipedia page: Daniel Hale Williams
  3. Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses (36th and Dearborn Streets, Chicago). Chicago History Museum (ICHi-040212). https://www.chicagohistory.org/provident-hospital/. Brittany Hutchinson.
  4. Wikipedia.com Henry Dalton. 4/4/2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Dalton. Accessed 10-19-20
  5. Daniel Hale Williams American Physician. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018.

 

“The views, opinions and positions expressed within this blog are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent those of the American Heart Association. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them. The Early Career Voice blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.”

 

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#BlackCardioInHistory: Dr. Edward William Hawthorne

This is part of the #BlackCardioInHistory series.  #AHAEarlyCareerVoice is partnering with #BlackInCardio to feature a series of profiles of black/African American Cardiologists for #BlackInCardioWeek2020.  For more information: blackincardio.com


Edward William Hawthorne was born near Port Gibson, Mississippi as the son of a minister and teacher. He suffered from polio at the age of 7 (1). He graduated high school in Washington DC and began his undergraduate study at Fisk University but later transferred to Howard University (1). It was at Howard University where Hawthorne spent most of the rest of his life.

(2) https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2018/02/13/14/42/harold-on-history-black-history-month-and-pioneering-african-american-physicians. Photo Credit: Howard University.

Hawthorne earned his bachelor’s in science degree in 1941 and completed his medical degree in 1946 (1). Hawthorne was an intern at Freedmen’s Hospital from 1946-1947 and developed an interest in research, especially in the cardiovascular field (1). Dr. Hawthorne completed a Masters in Science in physiology in 1949, and then a Ph.D. in physiology in 1951, both from the University of Illinois in Chicago (1). This would be Hawthorne’s only stint away from Washington DC.

In 1951 Dr. Hawthorne moved back to Washington DC as he was appointed to faculty at Howard University(1). Dr. Howard helped organize masters and doctoral graduate programs in physiology at Howard and a laboratory focusing on cardiovascular research(1). Dr. Hawthorne was the head of the physiology department until 1969(1). All the while Dr. Hawthorne was moving ranks of the administration. He was assistant Dean of the College of Medicine from 1962-1967, associate Dean of the College of Medicine until 1970, and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1974. During these appointments, he was also Chairmen of the department of physiology and biophysics in 1969-1974(1).

Hawthorne referred to his research as “a personal vendetta against ignorance”(1). Dr. Hawthorne was a leader in Renal physiology research and utilized animal models ranging from rats, rabbits, dogs, and horses(1). Dr. Hawthorne was a pioneer in using techniques to measure heart function and size in conscious animals(1). In 3 papers from 1959 and 1962, both published in Circulation Research, Hawthorne examines hypertension and left ventricle size in dogs (3, 4, 5). Dr. Hawthorne pioneered an experimental hypertension model in dogs consisting of constricting the brachiocephalic and left subclavian arteries surgically(5).

Figure 1 from Chronic experimental hypertension in dogs after constriction of brachiocephalic and left subclavian arteries. HAWTHORNE EW, et al. Circ Res. 1962. PMID: 13905535.

Dr. Hawthorne would go on to publish many papers on cardiovascular physiology, which ultimately led to his election as a fellow of the American College of Cardiology in 1969 and vice president of the American Heart Association from 1969-1972(1). He was also active in predominantly Black associations, including the John A. Andrew Clinical Society, Alpha Omega Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Association of Former Interns and Residents of Freedmen’s Hospital. In 1980 he was elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences(1). Dr. Hawthorne died in October 1986, only 4 months after his final manuscript was published(6). Dr. Hawthorne is remembered as a pioneer for cardiovascular physiology research and education and a pioneer in the field of hypertension.

 

Reference

  1. Hawthorne, Edward William. https://doi-org. /10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1201084 American National Biography. Accessed 10-19-2020
  2. https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2018/02/13/14/42/harold-on-history-black-history-month-and-pioneering-african-american-physicians. Photo Credit: Howard University.
  3. Instantaneous dimensional changes of the left ventricle in dogs. HAWTHORNE EW. Circ Res. 1961. PMID: 13712425.
  4. Telemetering of ventricular circumference in dogs. HAWTHORNE EW, et al. J Appl Physiol. 1961. PMID: 13905534.
  5. Chronic experimental hypertension in dogs after constriction of brachicephalic and left subclavian arteries. HAWTHORNE EW, et al. Circ Res. 1962. PMID: 13905535.
  6. Estimation of left ventricular mass in conscious dogs. B Coleman, L N Cothran, E L Ison-Franklin, E W Hawthorne. Among authors: hawthorne ew. Am J Physiol. 1986. PMID: 3789168

“The views, opinions and positions expressed within this blog are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent those of the American Heart Association. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them. The Early Career Voice blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.”

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#BlackCardioInHistory: Dr. Marie Maynard Daly

This is part of the #BlackCardioInHistory series.  #AHAEarlyCareerVoice is partnering with #BlackInCardio to feature a series of profiles of black/African American Cardiologists for #BlackInCardioWeek2020.  For more information: blackincardio.com


Photo credit: Ted Burrows, Archives of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/marie-maynard-daly)

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly (1921-2003) became the first African American woman to receive a PhD in Chemistry. Dr. Daly was born in Queens, New York. She had the ambition to become a chemist through the influences of her father, who was on track to graduate from Cornell with an undergraduate degree in Chemistry when he was forced to drop out because of financial circumstances. Dr. Daly graduated magna cum laude from Queens College in New York with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. She then enrolled in a Master’s program in Chemistry at New York University and graduated in 1 year while working at Queens College as a part-time laboratory assistant.

Marie M. Daly Biography. Biography.com/scientist/marie-m-daly 08/26/2020

From NYU, soon to be Dr. Daly enrolled in a doctoral program at Columbia. Her dissertation was titled A Study of the Products Formed by Action of Pancreatic Amylase on Corn Starch. Dr. Daly received her PhD in Chemistry in 1947 and was the first African American woman to receive a PhD in chemistry in the United States. Dr. Daly went on to teach at Howard University and then began researching at the Rockefeller Institute in New York as a post-doctoral fellow. After 7 years at the Rockefeller Institute, Dr. Daly started to teach at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York in 1955. She continued her research while at Columbia studying arterial metabolism.

Dr. Daly made seminal findings in arterial metabolism. In particular, she published findings of how respiration and cytochrome oxidase activity are altered in rat aortas during hypertension which was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in 1958. In 1960 Dr. Daly moved to Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University and from 1958 to 1963, Dr. Daly was an investigator for the American Heart Association.

M.M. DALY, E.G. GURPIDE. J Exp Med. 1959 Feb 1;109(2):187-95. doi: 10.1084/jem.109.2.187. PMID: 13620848

In 1963 Dr. Daly published another paper, this time examining the concentration of cholesterol and cholesterol synthesis in hypertensive rats, which she published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. In 1970 Dr. Daly published a methods paper on how to isolate intimal-medial tissues in arteries from rabbits. Dr. Daly was an integral part of the early molecular study using small mammal models to examine atherosclerosis and hypertension and was a pioneer in cardiovascular research.

M.M. DALY, Q.B. DEMING, V.M. RAEFF, L.M. BRUN. J Clin Invest. 1963 Oct;42(10):1606-12. doi: 10.1172/JCI104845. PMID: 14074354

H. WOLINSKY, M.M. DALY. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1970 Nov;135(2):364-8. doi: 10.3181/00379727-135-35052. PMID: 4921030

WOLINSKY, M.M. DALY. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1970 Nov;135(2):364-8. doi: 10.3181/00379727-135-35052. PMID: 4921030

Thus, it is not surprising that Dr. Daly was a member of the board of governors of the New York Academy of Sciences along with being a fellow of the American Cancer Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, New York Academy of Sciences, and Council of the American Heart Association. In 1999, just 4 years before her death, the National Technical Association recognized Dr. Daly as one of the top 50 women in Science, Engineering, and Technology. Finally, in 2016, a new elementary school was named The Dr. Marie M. Daly Academy of Excellence after Dr. Daly and her many achievements.

 

“The views, opinions and positions expressed within this blog are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent those of the American Heart Association. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them. The Early Career Voice blog is not intended to provide medical advice or treatment. Only your healthcare provider can provide that. The American Heart Association recommends that you consult your healthcare provider regarding your personal health matters. If you think you are having a heart attack, stroke or another emergency, please call 911 immediately.”