Renee Rosalind Jenkins (born 1947) is an American pediatrician known for her work in

adolescent medicine Adolescent medicine, also known as adolescent and young adult medicine, is a medical subspecialty that focuses on care of patients who are in the adolescent period of development. This period begins at puberty and lasts until growth has stopped, ...

. She is the first African-American president of the

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States. It is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. The AAP has published hundreds of poli ...

and the Society of Adolescent Medicine.

Early life and education

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and raised in Philadelphia and

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Jenkins was educated at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

, where she earned her bachelor's degree (1967) and doctorate (1971). She was a resident at

Albert Einstein College of Medicine The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a Private university, private medical school in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein is an independent degree-granting institution within the Montefiore Einstein Health System. Einstein hosts Doc ...

in pediatrics, and a fellow there in adolescent medicine. She graduated residency in 1975 but completed another fellowship in

population dynamics Population dynamics is the type of mathematics used to model and study the size and age composition of populations as dynamical systems. Population dynamics is a branch of mathematical biology, and uses mathematical techniques such as differenti ...

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

in 1986.

Career

Jenkins began her career at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

, teaching in the department of pediatrics and its first director of Adolescent Services. From 1994-2007, she chaired the pediatrics department at Howard. She has served in several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and Society of Adolescent Medicine, and she has written for '' Nelson's Textbook of Pediatrics''. Jenkins is, as of 2016, a professor at both Howard and

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. Her research focuses on prevention of

adolescent pregnancy Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated wi ...

, adolescent reproductive health, and medical issues facing minority children in the United States.

Honors and awards

* Fellow,

(1977) * President, Society of Adolescent Medicine (1989) * Member,

Alpha Omega Alpha Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society () is an honor society in the field of medicine. It has active chapters in 132 Liaison Committee on Medical Education, LCME-accredited medical schools in the United States and Lebanon. It annually elects ove ...

(1991) * Grace James Award for Distinguished Service,

National Medical Association The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest organization representing African Americans, African American physicians and their patients in the United States. As a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) national professional and sc ...

(1999) * Member,

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

(2001) * President, American Academy of Pediatrics (2007) * Pediatric Section Chair, National Medical Association * Member,

American Pediatric Society The American Pediatric Society (APS) is the first pediatric society established in North America. Created in 1887, the APS pursues a vision of an engaged, inclusive, and impactful community of pediatric thought leaders. The APS mission is to shape t ...

* Member, Ambulatory Pediatric Association * Chair,

Guttmacher Institute The Guttmacher Institute is a research and policy NGO that aims to improve sexual health and expand reproductive rights worldwide. The organization was started in 1968 as part of Planned Parenthood; it became independent from Planned Parenthood ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Renee 21st-century African-American physicians American women pediatricians American pediatricians Physicians from Philadelphia Physicians from Detroit Wayne State University alumni Johns Hopkins University fellows Howard University faculty George Washington University faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American physicians 1947 births Living people 20th-century American women physicians 21st-century American women physicians African-American women physicians Presidents of the American Academy of Pediatrics