Ruby Puryear Hearn graduated from Skidmore College and then attended Yale University, where she received an M.S. and Ph.D. in biophysics. Dr. Hearn spent most of her professional life on the staff of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest health care philanthropy in the United States, where she participated in strategic program planning and served as the Foundation’s liaison within the non-profit community. Now retired, she holds the position of senior vice president emerita.
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. She was a fellow of the Yale Corporation and a member of the Science Board of the Food and Drug Administration. She also served on the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Hearn is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, where she is active on the Board on Children, Youth and Families.
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National Academy of Engineering Honors Three During African American History Month