Harold Amos

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Harold Amos
Born(1918-09-07)September 7, 1918
Pennsauken, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedFebruary 26, 2003(2003-02-26) (aged 84)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSpringfield College
Harvard University
Scientific career
FieldsMicrobiology
InstitutionsHarvard Medical School
Thesis (1952)
Doctoral advisorHoward J. Mueller

Harold Amos (September 7, 1918[1] – February 26, 2003[2]) was an American microbiologist. He taught at Harvard Medical School for nearly fifty years and was the first African American department chair of the school.[3]

Early life

Amos was born in

Springfield College in Massachusetts on a full academic scholarship. In 1941 he graduated summa cum laude[6] with a degree in biology as a chemistry minor.[7]
He was drafted the following year, and after returning home from WWII in 1946, Amos began his graduate studies at Harvard University. He was the first African American to earn a doctoral degree from the Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, in 1952.

Military service

Amos was drafted into the US Army in 1942, serving in the Quartermaster's Corps in World War II as a warrant officer.[4] During his time in the Army, he travelled along the coast of France where he eventually started speaking very fluently in the language while becoming an expert on the foods and wines.[8] Eventually he was discharged in February 1946, where he began to start his next career in the program of Biological Science at Harvard University.[4]

Career

In September 1947, Springfield College hired him as a biology professor. Dr. Amos was the college’s first African American faculty member.

National Academy of Sciences' Public Welfare Medal in 1995[12] and the Harvard Centennial Medal in 2000. He directed the Minority Medical Faculty Development Program (MMFDP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation after his retirement from Harvard.[13] A diversity award at Harvard Medical School is named after Amos.[14] He inspired hundreds of minorities to become medical doctors.[7]
He was well known as an inviting and welcoming mentor to both students and junior faculty members.

Awards

Publications

Harold Amos research was mostly recognized on the work about his bacterial metabolism, nutrition, animal cell culture, virology, and the effects of hormones.[8] During his time at Harvard University he began working on a thesis on virology that was affecting herpes virus that was experimented on chick's chorioallantoic membrane which led to his big break from Fulbright Fellowship[15] that supported his work on mutation of the E. coli bacteria which led to Amos's research focused on using cells in culture to understand how molecules get into cells and how entry is regulated during cell starvation or in plentiful conditions. Amos published over seventy scientific papers.[5] As part of the department of chair for Bacteriology and Immunology one his famous studies was research over the animal cells that was focused on the RNA metabolism that broke down the enzyme inductions and their functions that were later published in his book called Harvard Gazette[16] that focused on the glucose starvation, hexose metabolism and transport.

Harold Amos Medical Faculty Program

"The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is to improve the health and health care of all Americans. Since its inception, the Foundation has supported efforts to improve the number and quality of minority health care professionals. Recognizing that there was an existing pool of talented minority medical residents who had the potential to become medical school faculty members, and that a critical requirement for success was for those potential academicians to forge links with appropriate mentors who have exemplary track records in producing outstanding medical faculty, the Foundation developed the Minority Medical Faculty Development Program in 1983 (renamed the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program, or AMFDP, in 2004 in honor of its first director)."[17]

The ideas of this program believed that his role to the University of Harvard was to help push the narrative of many minority students that weren't able to gain support to pursue a medical career as a physician. By the facility and board directors supporting Harold in this regime it has shown an increase of many minority students that have exceeded the numbers of non minority faculty. In regards of the program Harold Amos believed with this program it would allow students to gain the opportunities like himself while passing on his knowledge to other students in the program. As for today his program has changed nearly over 124 participants in the years of 2003- 2008 that were (76 scholars and 48 non scholars) that were able to gain leadership qualities plus grants that were covering at least 3/4 of the semester while there in the program.[18]

In regards of program the most known alumni was man named Dr. James Gavin III quoted "It has been an immeasurable honor to play a part in realizing the Harold Amos program’s goal of building and developing a cadre of brilliant young physicians and dentists who go on to make significant contributions to the field of academic medicine. Our scholars and alumni make up one of the richest endowments of human capital with which I have ever been affiliated. Being part of that for three decades has helped fulfill my commitment to develop programs that create sustainable, positive change."[19] By the help of this program Dr. Gavin believed that this committee helped him establish a great relationship between him and the facility that was able to advocate the workforce for many minorities that were capable to be a part of the growing medical regime.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Harold Amos in Lab". springfieldcollege.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  2. ^ Nagourney, Eric (March 6, 2003). "Harold Amos, 84, Pacesetter Among Blacks in Academia". The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  3. ^ "Harold Amos (1918-2003) •". 2017-12-17. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Harold Amos". Harvard Gazette. 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  5. ^ a b c Fox, Thomas O.; Spragg, Jocelyn. "Harold Amos". Oxford. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  6. ^ McFadden, Christopher (2021-05-20). "29+ of the most influential African American scientists of all time". interestingengineering.com. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  7. ^ a b c d "Dr. Harold Amos, 84; Mentor to Aspiring Minority Physicians". Los Angeles Times. 2003-03-08. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
  8. ^ a b Mahoney, Eleanor (2017-12-17). "Harold Amos (1918-2003) •". Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  9. ^ "About Harold Amos :: Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program". Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  10. ^ Negri, Gloria (March 4, 2003). "Harold Amos, First Black to Lead Harvard Department". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter A" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Public Welfare Award". National Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  13. ^ "Dr. Harold Amos, 84, Harvard professor emeritus, dies.(Education)". Jet. March 24, 2003. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  14. ^ Lawrence, J.M. (2011-01-24). "Jocelyn Spragg, at 70; scientist boosted careers of many at Harvard". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
  15. OCLC 958074804
    .
  16. ISSN 0006-8071
    .
  17. PMID 24708173
    .
  18. PMID 30283846
    .
  19. PMID 25998287
    .

External links
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