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. B ...

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(Web archive)/ref> According to the ...

. 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 and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

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

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

area. She is

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

. Ruby attended

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in one of more than 60 areas of study. History S ...

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 ...

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

National Student Association The United States National Student Association (NSA) was a confederation of college and university student governments that was in operation from 1947 to 1978. Founding and early years The NSA was founded at a conference at the University of Wisc ...

for not supporting black students' protest of

Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shop ...

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 research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, earning a M.S. and Ph.D. 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 Presiden ...

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;

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

; 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 and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...

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 federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

, 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), formerly called 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, En ...

, 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, 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 Nat ...

. 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 ...

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, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

* 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 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