Barbara Browne (born Barbara Moulton, August 26, 1915 – May 12, 1997) was a

bacteriologist A bacteriologist is a microbiologist, or similarly trained professional, in bacteriology -- a subdivision of microbiology that studies bacteria, typically Pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic ones. Bacteriologists are interested in studying and learnin ...

who worked with the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

to help revolutionize the medical drug industry.

Early life and education

Barbara Browne was born under the name Barbara Moulton in Chicago, Illinois, whose father was

Harold G. Moulton Harold Glenn Moulton (November 7, 1883, Le Roy, Michigan - December 14, 1965, Charles Town, West Virginia) was an American economist and longtime fellow at the Brookings Institution. He authored several dozen books and papers exploring timely soc ...

, an economics professor at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. Brown attended

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

along with the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

, but finished getting her bachelor's degree at the University of Chicago. For two years after graduation at the university, Browne studied bacteriology and various infectious diseases. Like her father, Browne completed her master's at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in Washington, D.C., in 1940, then by 1944 received her medical degree.

Career

Employed by the Food and Drug Administration in 1955 Browne saw the fraud within the administration. Fifteen years later Browne resigned from the FDA. She shifted her efforts towards creating better quality of drug approval. After testifying before the Kefauver Senate Subcommittee, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

modified the drug approval process. Browne worked with the Bureau of Deceptive Practices at the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

as a medical officer in order to bring to light the ethical issues present within the Food and Drug Administration.

Personal life

She then married E. Wayles Browne Jr., an economist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Barbara 1915 births 1997 deaths American bacteriologists University of Chicago alumni George Washington University alumni George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences alumni Smith College alumni American expatriates in Austria