Dr. Marie Maynard Daly, a Trailblazer in Medical Research

Overcoming dual barriers of racial and gender bias, Marie Maynard Daly (1921–2003) became the first Black woman in America to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Daly conducted important studies on cholesterol, sugars, and proteins. In addition to her research, she was committed to developing programs to increase the enrollment of minority students in medical school and graduate science programs.

Daly earned a doctorate from Columbia University in 1947 with a dissertation on how human body chemicals help to digest food. In 1971, Daly was awarded tenure at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University where she continued doing groundbreaking research – particularly on the relationship between high cholesterol and clogged arteries, as well as the effect cigarette smoke has on the lungs. Daly was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.