Beny Jene Primm (May 21, 1928 – October 16, 2015) was a prominent American physician, HIV/AIDS researcher, lecturer and advocate for public health policy reform. Primm was born in

Williamson, West Virginia Williamson is a city in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mingo County, and is the county's largest and most populous city. Willia ...

, and earned his Bachelor of Science from

West Virginia State College West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a public historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Colored Institute, it is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities ...

in 1950, before moving to Europe to undertake graduate studies at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

in Germany and the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

in Switzerland, earning his

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

from the latter in 1959.Dewart p. 3 In 1963, Primm began working as an anaesthesiologist at

Harlem Hospital Harlem Hospital Center, branded as NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, is a 272-bed, public teaching hospital affiliated with Columbia University. It is located at 506 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City and was founded in 1887. The hosp ...

, and during this time he began to specialise in drug addiction treatment and prevention.Grimes In 1969, he co-founded the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation in New York, which opened six branches as well as a treatment centre in Brooklyn. A major project of the A. R. T. C. was to determine the safety and effectiveness of

methadone Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to heroin ...

as a substitute for

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

, to help addicts recover.Roberts p. 127 Primm combined this treatment with social and psychiatric services.Netherland p. 91 In 1981 he founded the Urban Resource Institute, an organisation offering career counselling and human resources for drug addicts.Riccucci p. 212 Primm was a leading figure in the fight against

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

during the 80s, and an early proponent of preventative measures such as clean needle programs, personal HIV/AIDS status testing and

safe sex Safe sex is sexual activity using methods or contraceptive devices (such as condoms) to reduce the risk of transmitting or acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. "Safe sex" is also sometimes referred to as safer se ...

.Chambré p. 193 From 1987, he served on the Presidential Commission on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic under

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, where he personally added to the commission's 600-point plan of action a recommendation for treatment to be given on demand to intravenous drug users. Primm was later appointed to the National Drug Abuse Advisory Council, and headed the Office of Treatment Improvement, an agency of the government's Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Services Administration.Institute of Medicine pp. 185-6 He also served on the

Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) advises the White House and the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the US government's response to the AIDS epidemic. The commission was formed by President Bill Clinton in 1995 and each ...

. Primm was not only an advocate for public health reform but also for civil rights and equality.Campbell and Ettorre p. 84 In 2014, the year before his death, he released his memoir, which he co-authored with John S. Friedman, entitled ''The Healer: A Doctor’s Crusade Against Addiction and AIDS''.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Primm, Beny 1928 births 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American physicians 2015 deaths Activists for African-American civil rights Activists from West Virginia African-American founders American founders African Americans in West Virginia American anesthesiologists American health activists American immunologists HIV/AIDS activists HIV/AIDS researchers People from Williamson, West Virginia Physicians from West Virginia 20th-century African-American physicians 21st-century African-American physicians West Virginia State University alumni