Joan Reede facts for kids

Joan Y. Reede (born 1953) is an American physician. She is the very first dean for diversity and community partnership at Harvard Medical School. This means she helps make sure everyone, no matter their background, feels welcome and has opportunities there. She is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine, which is a group of top experts in health and medicine. Dr. Reede is well-known for creating special programs that support and guide doctors from minority groups and women doctors. Because of her amazing work, people who went through her programs started a group called The Reede Scholars in her honor.

Early Life and Education

Joan Reede grew up in Boston. Her family came from Georgia, and her ancestors were once enslaved. Even though some school officials tried to discourage her, she worked hard and got into Brown University, graduating in 1977.

After Brown, she went to Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and became a doctor in 1980. It's cool to know that her mother, Tommye Loretta Reede, also earned her college degree in the same year Joan graduated from medical school!

Dr. Reede then moved to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to train in pediatrics (which is medicine for children). Later, she specialized even more by studying child psychiatry at Boston Children's Hospital.

Years later, Dr. Reede went back to school at Harvard. She earned a Master's in Public Health in 1990 and another Master's in Policy and Management in 1992. She also has an MBA from Boston University.

Career and Important Work

Dr. Reede started her career helping people in Boston's communities. She worked with young people in detention centers and with children in public schools, teaching them about health. Throughout her career, she has helped educate teachers and students about important health topics. She has also advised the National Institutes of Health, which is a big government agency that does health research.

Helping Students and Doctors

When Dr. Reede moved to Harvard in 1989, she helped start the Biomedical Sciences Career Program. This program shares information about science careers with young students of color and connects them with mentors who can guide them.

In 2001, she became the first African-American woman to be a dean at Harvard Medical School. Her job was to lead the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Partnership. She also created a special program to help new doctors learn how to work with patients from minority or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dr. Reede has also started other programs at Harvard. These programs aim to bring more women and people of color into careers in science and medicine. In 1990, she began the Minority Faculty Development Program at Harvard Medical School. This program helps minority teachers and researchers grow in their careers. She also created three leadership programs focused on health policy.

The people who completed these programs formed The Reede Scholars. This group works to improve health and well-being for everyone. They do this through education, research, and by helping to shape health policies. Dr. Reede has also created research opportunities for Harvard Medical School faculty and for minority postdoctoral researchers (people who do research after getting their PhD).

Building a Diverse Workforce

In 2002, Dr. Reede founded the Biomedical Science Careers Program. This group works to increase the number of minority individuals in science and biotechnology jobs. It also helps hospitals, science companies, and schools find a diverse group of employees. This program gets money from an annual event called "Evening of Hope."

Dr. Reede also organizes the yearly New England Science Symposium. This event shows off the research done by minority scientists at all stages of their careers, from college students to advanced researchers.

Her own research looks at ways to support diversity in science jobs and how organizations can change to be more inclusive. She has studied how important networking is for doctors' careers and the challenges that women, especially women of color, face in medical careers at universities. She has also looked at differences in who receives research grants from the NIH based on gender and race.

Creating a Welcoming Community

Dr. Reede has worked hard to create a sense of community at Harvard Medical School and beyond. She started award programs to recognize people who do great community service, staff members who go above and beyond, and those who are excellent mentors. She has also strongly supported internship programs that give chances to students from groups that are often underrepresented.

National Influence

Many people across the country ask Dr. Reede for her advice. She has served on important committees for the National Institutes of Health. She has also been on the Board of Governors for the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. She helped guide efforts to make the NIH workforce more diverse. She has also led groups focused on diversity and health differences for the Association of American Medical Colleges and the National Academy of Medicine.

Awards and Recognitions

Dr. Joan Reede has received many honors for her important work:

• 1986: Health Award, Boston NAACP
• 1993: Community Service Award, Epilepsy Association of Massachusetts
• 1996: Exemplary Models of Administrative Leadership Award, American Association of University Administrators
• 1998: Dean's Award for the Support and Advancement of Diversity Harvard Medical School
• 1998: CDC/University of California Public Health Leadership Institute Scholar Centers for Disease Control
• 2002: Leadership Award National Dental Association
• 2003: Changing the Face of Medicine, Celebrating America’s Women Physicians National Library of Medicine
• 2004: Diggs Lecture, National Institutes of Health
• 2005: Herbert W. Nickens Award, Society of General Internal Medicine
• 2005: Herbert W. Nickens Award, Association of American Medical Colleges
• 2005: Academic Leadership in Primary Care Award, Morehouse School of Medicine
• 2007: Riland Medal for Public Service, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
• 2007: Honorary Doctorate, New York Institute of Technology
• Board of Directors, National Hispanic Medical Association
• 2009: Member, National Academy of Medicine
• 2011: Diversity Award, Association of Professors of Medicine
• 2012: Elizabeth Beckman Hurlock Award, Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award Trust
• 2015: Jacobi Medallion, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• 2016: Health Equity Hero, Delta Dental
• 2017: Commitment to Diversity award, Xconomy
• 2018: Heroes in Health Care award, Visiting Nurse Association.
• 2019: NEHI Innovator in Health Award, Network for Excellence in Health Innovation.
• 2023: Commencement speaker for the Graduating Class of 2023 at Georgetown University School of Medicine