Melissa L. Gilliam facts for kids

Melissa Lynn Gilliam is an American pediatric and adolescent gynecologist. She is the first black woman to serve as provost of Ohio State University, having previously served as a professor of health justice at the University of Chicago. On the 4th of October 2023, she was announced as the incoming president of Boston University.

On July 1, 2024 Gilliam started her post as president of Boston University.

Early life and education

Gilliam was born in Washington, D.C., to journalist Dorothy Butler Gilliam and abstract painter Sam Gilliam. Her mother was the first African-American journalist for The Washington Post.

She earned her Bachelor's degree in English literature from Yale University, a Master of Arts degree in philosophy and politics from the University of Oxford, a medical degree from Harvard University, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Career

Gilliam joined the faculty at the University of Chicago in 2005. She eventually became the chief of family planning research and head of the program in gynecology for children, adolescents, and young women at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Research

Gilliam's research covers adolescent health and education, domestically and internationally, through methods including narrative, technology, and design. As of 2023, this work had received funding from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.

University administration

In 2016, Gilliam was appointed as the University of Chicago's Vice Provost for Academic Leadership, Advancement, and Diversity and was named as the Ellen H. Block Professor in Health and Justice. In 2020, she was named as a Distinguished Service Professor in recognition of her work supporting faculty as Vice Provost.

In August 2021, Gilliam joined Ohio State University as Executive Vice President and Provost, and joined the faculty as professor of obstetrics and gynecology. She became the first woman of color to serve as OSU's Provost. Also in 2021, she joined the board of directors at Talis Biomedical.

In October 2023, it was announced that Gilliam will become President at Boston University in July 2024, succeeding Kenneth Freeman.

Gilliam currently serves on the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratory and previously advised the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Personal life

Gilliam is married to physician-researcher William Grobman. They have two children, a son and a daughter.