Theresa Greene Reed facts for kids
Theresa Wilhelmina Green Reed (born December 9, 1923 – died July 10, 2017) was an American doctor and a scientist who studied diseases, called an epidemiologist. She worked as a doctor for about 18 years at the Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Later, she joined the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 1968, she made history as the first African American woman to work as an epidemiologist at the FDA.
Early Life and Education
Theresa Reed was born in Baltimore on December 9, 1923. She later moved to Buffalo, New York. She finished high school at Lafayette High School in 1941.
Reed then went to Virginia State College. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry there in 1945. After that, she received a scholarship to attend Meharry Medical College. She chose this school to be closer to her fiancé at the time. Even though they did not get married, Reed continued her studies and graduated in 1949.
Medical Career and Achievements
In 1950, Theresa Reed began working at the Homer G. Phillips Hospital. She worked there as both a staff doctor and a public health doctor. She met her husband, Hermas Reed, at the hospital, and they married in 1950.
Reed was promoted to assistant clinical director in 1958. She stayed in this role until 1966. While living in Missouri in 1963, she became the first African American woman to be president of the Mound City Women Physicians Association. This was a big achievement for her.
Working at the FDA
Reed went back to school to further her education. She studied at Johns Hopkins University and earned her master's degree in public health in 1967.
In 1968, Reed started working at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This was a very important step, as she became the first African American woman to work as an epidemiologist there. An epidemiologist studies how diseases spread and how to control them.
By 1973, she was promoted to executive medical officer at the FDA. In this role, Reed supervised other doctors. These doctors evaluated anti-infective medicines to make sure they were safe and effective for people to use. She also worked on other types of medicines, like aminoglycosides and quinolones. Theresa Reed retired from the FDA in 1992.
She passed away in Montgomery County, Maryland on July 10, 2017, at the age of 93.
