Ruth Lillian Kirschstein (12 October 1926 – 6 October 2009) was an American

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...

and science administrator at the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH). Kirschstein served as director of the

National Institute of General Medical Sciences The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) supports basic research that increases understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. NIGMS-funded scientists ...

, deputy director of NIH in the 1990s, and acting director of the NIH in 1993 and 2000-2002."Pathologist Helped Ensure Vaccines' Safety"
October 17, 2009, ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'' She was a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

and a member of the Institute of Medicine. In 2002, Congress renamed the NIH graduate student fellowship program to the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award in honor of Kirschstein's work at the NIH."Taken for Granted: NIH's Dr. Ruth"
by Beryl Lieff Benderly, ''Science'' Although she had trained as a

classical pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, she pursued medicine, graduating in 1947 from Long Island University and earning a Doctor of Medicine medical degree from

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

in 1951. She

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

in medicine and surgery at Kings County hospital and completed medical residencies in pathology at Providence Hospital in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, Tulane University Hospital, and the Clinical Center at the NIH.Ruth L. Kirschstein, M.D.
Maryland Women Hall of Fame

Biography

Kirschstein was born to a family of Russian Jewish descent in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in 1926. Although she had trained as a

, she pursued medicine, graduating in 1947 from Long Island University and earning a

medical degree A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into special ...

from

in 1951. She

in medicine and surgery at Kings County hospital and completed medical residencies in pathology at Providence Hospital in Detroit, Tulane University Hospital, and the Clinical Center at the NIH.

Family

She was married for 59 years to Alan S. Rabson, a pathologist and a deputy director of the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

." Ruth Kirschstein and Alan Rabson", ''Science'' 15 June 2001: Vol. 292. no. 5524, pg. 1989 Kirschstein's only child, Arnold B. Rabson, was born in 1955, the year she and her husband arrived at the NIH.

Research

Kirschstein joined NIH in 1955. She studied

clinical pathology Clinical pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the laboratory analysis of bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, and tissue homogenates or extracts using the tools of chemistry, microbiology, h ...

laboratory medicine A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are conducted out on clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient to aid in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Clinical Medical labor ...

, virally-induced cancer and developed the safety test for the

polio vaccine Polio vaccines are vaccines used to prevent poliomyelitis (polio). Two types are used: an inactivated poliovirus given by injection (IPV) and a weakened poliovirus given by mouth (OPV). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends all chi ...

s following the 1955

Cutter Incident Cutter Laboratories was a family-owned pharmaceutical company located in Berkeley, California, founded by Edward Ahern Cutter in 1897. Cutter's early products included anthrax vaccine, hog cholera (swine fever) virus, and anti-hog cholera serum— ...

, in addition to working on the safety of the measles vaccine. In 1972, Kirschstein became deputy director of the Division of Biologics Standards, a research division that was transferred from NIH to the

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 ...

, where she investigated the safety of the artificial sweetener

cyclamate Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener. It is 30–50 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), making it the least potent of the commercially used artificial sweeteners. It is often used with other artificial sweeteners, especially saccharin; ...

. When she returned to the NIH in 1974, Kirschstein became the first woman to direct an institute when she was appointed the director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). At NIGMS, she raised the profile of the institute, persuading Congress to dramatically increase funding of basic medical science research. She also championed research training support, particularly for under-represented minorities, work that was recognized by the Congressionally-mandated renaming of the National Research Service Awards, as the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards. Kirschstein served as Deputy Director of the NIH under Dr. Harold Varmus, from 1993 to 1999. She served as Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health on two occasions, in 1993, and again from 2000-2002.

Awards

She received honorary degrees from the

University of Rochester School of Medicine A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, Long Island University,

Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Fou ...

, Medical College of Ohio, Brown University, Tulane University, and

Mount Sinai School of Medicine The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS or Mount Sinai), formerly the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, is a private medical school in New York City. It is the academic teaching arm of the Mount Sinai Health System, which manages eig ...

. Among the awards received by Kirschstein are the Georgeanna Seegar Jones Women's Health Lifetime Achievement Award, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology's Public Service Award, the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's sta ...

's Dr. Nathan Davis Award, the Harvey Wiley FDA Special Citation, Presidential Rank Award of Distinguished Executive (the country's highest civil service honor), the PHS Equal Opportunity Achievement Award, the Alice C. Evans Award, and superior service awards from the

Department of Health, Education and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

and the

United States Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services concerned with public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant ...

. She was an elected member of the Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Medicine).

References

External links

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirschstein, Ruth L. 1926 births 2009 deaths National Institutes of Health people Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Long Island University alumni People from Brooklyn Place of death missing Tulane University School of Medicine alumni Jewish American scientists Physicians from New York City American people of Russian-Jewish descent Members of the National Academy of Medicine 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American women physicians 20th-century American physicians 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women