Frank Lennox Douglas (born April 30, 1943) is a Guyanese-American biomedical researcher and business executive.

Education and career

Douglas was born April 30, 1943, in

Georgetown, Guyana Georgetown is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean." It is ...

. He graduated with a BS in Engineering from

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

in 1966. He went on to a PhD in Physical Chemistry from

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 ...

, which he received at the beginning of 1973, with a thesis on chlorophyll-a. After a brief stint working at

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (, ) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox was the pioneer of the photocopier market, beginning with the introduc ...

, Douglas moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to pursue a medical degree from the Cornell University Medical School. After finishing the MD, Douglas completed an internship and residency in

internal medicine Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...

at Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, and a fellowship in neuroendocrinology at the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

. Following his fellowship, Douglas took a position as an assistant professor of medicine at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, in which role he remained for 5 years. At this time, he also began work at the pharmaceutical company

Ciba-Geigy Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and was the eighth largest by revenue in 2024. Novartis manufactures the drugs ...

. In 1992, he moved as an executive vice president to Marion Merrell Dow, where he remained as it was acquired and changed names to Hoechst Marion Roussel, and later to Aventis. In 2005, Douglas left Aventis and took a position as a

professor of the practice Professors in the United States commonly occupy any of several positions of teaching and research within a college or university. In the U.S., the word "professor" is often used to refer to anyone who teaches at a college of university level at ...

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

, where he was involved in founding the Center for Biomedical Innovation. After 2 years at MIT, he resigned over concerns about institutional racism, particularly regarding the tenure-denial of James Sherley. In 2009, Douglas moved to

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

, to serve as president and CEO of the Austen BioInnovation Institute. He left the institute at the beginning of 2015. Douglas published an autobiography in 2018, titled ''Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream''.

Books

Honors and awards

* Geoffrey Beene Foundation and '' GQ'' Magazine Rock Star of Science, 2010 *Black History Makers Award, 2007 * (Medal of the Faculty of Medicine),

Goethe University Frankfurt Goethe University Frankfurt () is a public research university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt ...

, 2004

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1943 births Living people People from Georgetown, Guyana Lehigh University alumni Weill Cornell Medical College alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni University of Chicago faculty MIT School of Engineering faculty MIT Sloan School of Management faculty American chief executives