Abby Lippman (December 11, 1939 – December 26, 2017) was a Canadian feminist and epidemiologist who served as a professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

. She was known for her advocacy for

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and

women's health Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Often treated ...

, and for her research applying a feminist perspective to

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

and

pharmaceutical drug Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

s. Among her most notable works were her critiques of

hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. Effects of menopause can include symptoms such ...

, the

pharmaceutical industry The pharmaceutical industry is a medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or self-administered by) patients for curing ...

, the

HPV vaccine Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are vaccines intended to provide acquired immunity against infection by certain types of human papillomavirus. The first HPV vaccine became available in 2006. Currently there are six licensed HPV vaccines: ...

, and the "

geneticization Geneticization is a term that has been widely used by critics of genetic medicine since the early 1990s. Originally coined by Abby Lippman in a series of three papers published in the 1990s (specifically in 1991, 1992, and 1994), geneticization re ...

" of reproductive technologies. In 2001, Lippmann helped the

Center for Genetics and Society The Center for Genetics and Society (CGS) is a non-profit information and public affairs organization based in Berkeley, California, United States. It encourages the responsible use and regulation of new human genetic and reproductive technolog ...

(CGS) to continue their efforts to bring social justice on human biotechnology.

Education

Abby Lippman studied for Comparative Literature at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in New York where she got her BA. In 1973 she moved to Montreal to study at McGill university and got her PhD in

Human Genetics Human genetics is the study of inheritance as it occurs in Human, human beings. Human genetics encompasses a variety of overlapping fields including: classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, genomics, populatio ...

. She was highly involved in political issues relating women's health as well as her studies of applied in genetic technologies.Women’s health advocate, Emerita Professor Abby Lippman (1939-2017)
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Activities

Lippman gave her first professional presentation in 1975 when she participated in the

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to co ...

-Birth Defects Conference in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

References

1939 births 2017 deaths Canadian feminists Canadian women epidemiologists Canadian epidemiologists Academic staff of McGill University American emigrants to Canada Canadian women's rights activists Canadian women human rights activists Canadian human rights activists Cornell University alumni McGill University Faculty of Science alumni {{Canada-academic-bio-stub