Beny Jene Primm (May 21, 1928 – October 16, 2015) was a prominent American physician, HIV/AIDS researcher, lecturer, and advocate for public health policy reform. Primm was born in Williamson, West Virginia, and earned his Bachelor of Science from West Virginia State College in 1950, before moving to Europe to undertake graduate studies at the

University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...

in Germany and the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

in Switzerland, earning his

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

from the latter in 1959.Dewart p. 3 In 1963, Primm began working as an

anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative medicine, perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critica ...

at Harlem Hospital, and during this time he began to specialise in drug addiction treatment and prevention.Grimes In 1969, he co-founded the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation (A.R.T.C.) in New York, which opened six branches as well as a treatment centre in Brooklyn. A major project of the A.R.T.C. was to determine the safety and effectiveness of methadone as a substitute for

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

, to help addicts recover.Roberts p. 127 Primm combined this treatment with social and psychiatric services.Netherland p. 91 In 1981 he founded the Urban Resource Institute, an organisation offering career counselling and human resources for drug addicts.Riccucci p. 212 Primm was a leading figure in the fight against

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

during the 80s, and an early proponent of preventative measures such as clean needle programs, personal HIV/AIDS status testing, and

safe sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer ...

.Chambré p. 193 From 1987, he served on the Presidential Commission on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic under

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

, where he personally added to the commission's 600-point plan of action a recommendation for treatment to be given on demand to intravenous drug users. Primm was later appointed to the National Drug Abuse Advisory Council, and headed the Office of Treatment Improvement, an agency of the government's Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration.Institute of Medicine pp. 185-6 He also served on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Primm was not only an advocate for public health reform but also for civil rights and equality.Campbell and Ettorre p. 84 In 2014, the year before his death, he released his memoir, which he co-authored with John S. Friedman, entitled ''The Healer: A Doctor’s Crusade Against Addiction and AIDS''.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Primm, Beny 1928 births 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American physicians 2015 deaths Activists for African-American civil rights Activists from West Virginia African-American founders African Americans in West Virginia American anesthesiologists American health activists American immunologists American HIV/AIDS activists HIV/AIDS researchers People from Williamson, West Virginia Physicians from West Virginia 20th-century African-American physicians 21st-century African-American physicians West Virginia State University alumni