Ruby Louise Puryear Hearn (born April 13, 1940) is an American

biophysicist Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations ...

who has dedicated her career to

health policy Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society".World Health Organization''Health Policy'' accessed 22 March 2011(archived 5 February 2011) According ...

. Her work spans initiatives in maternal, infant, and child health; AIDS; substance abuse; and minority medical education.

Early life

Ruby Louise Puryear was born in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

on April 13, 1940. Her family later relocated to the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

area. She is

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

. Ruby attended

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a Private school, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,700 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Scien ...

from 1956 to 1960 majoring in

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

. As a senior, she wrote to the editor of the college newspaper, criticizing the

National Student Association The United States National Student Association (known as the National Student Association or NSA) was a confederation of college and university student governments in the United States that was in operation from 1947 to 1978. NSA held annual nati ...

for not supporting black students' protest of

Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses Australia and New Zealand * Woolworths Group (Australia), the largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand; named after the American F.W. Woolworth company, but unrelated * W ...

Department Stores. She excelled as a student, regularly appearing on the dean's list and graduating with highest honors in 1960. Ruby was one of twelve students in her class to pursue graduate school. Ruby married Robert Hearn in December 1960, and has two children.

Career

Hearn attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, earning a

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

and

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

. in

biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations ...

. Her dissertation was titled "Thermodynamic Parameters In The RNase-S System." She was a

Yale Corporation The Yale Corporation, officially The President and Fellows of Yale College, is the governing body of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Assembly of corporation The Corporation comprises 19 members: * Three ex officio members: the Preside ...

Fellow from 1992 to 1998. Throughout the 1970s, Hearn worked on development programs to improve the health of at-risk children. In 1980 she began working at

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equity, ...

, the largest healthcare philanthropy in the United States. Hearn spent the majority of her career at the foundation, where her program planning efforts focused on "maternal, infant, and child health;

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 ...

;

substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...

; and minority medical education." She also acted as the Foundation's liaison to the non-profit community. From 1983 to 2001, Hearn served as Senior Vice President of the

. Since retiring, she continues to act as Senior Vice President Emerita. Hearn has been active on several boards and committees throughout her lifetime. In 1995, she was on the executive committee for the board of directors of the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

World Summer Games. Hearn has served on the Science Board of the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

, as well as the governing Council of the Institute of Medicine. She also served on the board on Children, Youth, and Families for the

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 ...

, and on the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy for the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

. The

New York Academy of Medicine The New York Academy of Medicine (the Academy) is a health policy and advocacy organization founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health r ...

awarded Hearn the Academy Medal for Exceptional Service to the academy in 2015, recognizing "more than a decade of distinguished service on the Academy's Board of Trustees" and acknowledging Hearn's role as "a critical leader and advocate in creating the Academy's development capability."

Honors & Awards

* Honoree, 1998,

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

* Distinguished Alumni, 2013, Skidmore College * Academy Medal for Exceptional Service to the academy, 2015, New York Academy of Medicine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Puryear Hearn, Ruby 1940 births Living people American biophysicists Yale University alumni 21st-century African-American scientists American women scientists Skidmore College alumni American women biophysicists 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics 20th-century African-American women African-American physicists Members of the National Academy of Medicine