Kimberly Hilfrank, Chair, CGA-IGC Communications Committee
In observance of National Black History Month 2025, CGA-IGC would like to celebrate the important work done by Black scientists throughout history.
Georgia Dunston
Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, Dr. Georgia Dunston received her PhD in Human Genetics from the University of Michigan in 1972. She was then recruited to the Howard University College of Medicine, where she helped to found the National Human Genome Center (NHGC). The mission of the NHGC is to explore gene-environment interactions in diseases that disproportionately affect populations of African descent. During her career, Dr. Dunston also worked as a visiting investigator with the National Human Genome Research Institute and collaborated with Dr. Francis Collins, who led the Human Genome Project, on work surrounding the genetics of type two diabetes in West Africa. Dr. Dunston remained at Howard for 45 years before retiring in 2017. (https://biologos.org/articles/scientist-spotlight-georgia-m-dunston)
Mary Logan Reddick
Dr. Mary Logan Reddick began studying at Spelman College at the age of only 15 and was teaching biology at her alma mater by 20. She then moved to Morehouse College where she was hired as the school’s first female biology instructor. Dr. Reddick earned her PhD from Radcliffe College, where her research focused on tissue transplantation and neurodevelopment in the brain cells of chicks. Dr. Reddick’s work explored how much of brain development is dependent upon interaction with surrounding tissue during embryonic development. Following her PhD, Dr. Reddick studied embryology at Cambridge University and served as the biology department chair at both Morehouse College and Atlanta University. (https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/mary-logan-reddick-1914-1966/)
Dr. Charles Rotimi
Dr. Charles Rotimi is the current scientific director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). Before joining the National Institute of Health, Dr. Rotimi served as the director of the National Human Genome Center at Howard University (founded by Dr. Georgia Dunston, listed above!). Dr. Rotimi’s work includes exploring how culture, lifestyle, and genomics all interplay to contribute to complex disease, particularly within populations of African descent. A notable publication of Dr. Rotimi and his team is the work done on the first genome-wide association study of high blood pressure and diabetes in West Africa. Dr. Rotimi was the founding president of the African Society of Human Genetics, which then launched the Human Heredity and Health in Africa Initiative (H3Africa). H3Africa supports ongoing research in disease and drug response in communities across Africa by creating a collaborative network of research labs throughout the continent. (https://www.genome.gov/staff/Charles-N-Rotimi-PhD)
Check out CGA-IGC’s blog post from 2024 to learn about more Black individuals who contributed to medical advancements in cancer genetics.
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