Ruth Smith Lloyd facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth Smith Lloyd
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| Born |
Ruth M Smith
January 17, 1917 |
| Died | February 5, 1995 (aged 78) |
| Alma mater |
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| Known for | First African-American woman to earn a PhD in anatomy. |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Anatomy |
| Institutions | |
Ruth Smith Lloyd (born January 17, 1917 – died February 5, 1995) was an important scientist from the 1900s. She became the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in anatomy in 1941. Anatomy is the study of the body's structure. Dr. Lloyd worked as a professor at Howard University from 1942 to 1977. She was married to Dr. Sterling Morrison Lloyd and they had three children.
Early Life and School
Ruth Smith was born in Washington, D.C. on January 17, 1917. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth Smith, worked for the US Treasury Department. Her father, Bradley Donald Smith, was a pullman porter, which was a job helping train passengers. Ruth was the youngest of three sisters. She went to Dunbar High School, a well-known school for Black students.
After high school, Ruth attended Mount Holyoke College. This college was mostly for white students at the time. She earned her bachelor's degree in zoology in 1937. Zoology is the study of animals. She graduated with high honors.
From 1937 to 1938, Ruth studied for her master's degree at Howard University. She studied zoology with a famous scientist named Ernest Everett Just. Ruth had thought about becoming a teacher. But her professors encouraged her to continue her studies.
Ruth then received a special scholarship called a fellowship from the Rosenwald Fund. This helped her study for her PhD at Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She researched the fertility of macaque monkeys. In 1941, she earned her PhD in anatomy. Her research made her the first African-American woman to achieve this.
Career as a Scientist
After finishing her studies, Dr. Lloyd taught at Hampton Institute in Virginia from 1941 to 1942. Then, in 1942, she joined the medical faculty at Howard University. She worked there until she retired in 1977.
At Howard, Dr. Lloyd taught about how the body works (physiology) and its structure (anatomy). She became an associate professor in 1955. Her research focused on endocrinology, which studies hormones, and medical genetics, which looks at how genes affect health. She also helped guide students and directed a program to help students succeed. Her brother-in-law, William Montague Cobb, was the head of the Anatomy Department where she worked.
Dr. Lloyd was a member of important scientific groups. These included the Sigma Xi scientific society and the American Association of Anatomists.
Family Life
Ruth Smith married Sterling Morrison Lloyd on December 30, 1939. He was a doctor who also graduated from Howard University. He passed away in 1980. Ruth and Sterling had three children and eight grandchildren.
After she retired, Dr. Lloyd was very active in her church. She also helped start the National Museum of Women in the Arts in 1987. She was also a member of a social and service group called Girl Friends.
Dr. Ruth Smith Lloyd passed away from cancer at her home in Washington, D.C., on February 5, 1995.
See also
In Spanish: Ruth Smith Lloyd para niños
