Bernadine Healy

Bernadine Patricia Healy (b. August 4, 1944) is a cardiologist and a former head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Red Cross. She is a senior writer for US News & World Report. Healy is a life-long Republican.

Early years & family

Healy was born in New York City and was raised on Long Island. She is the second of four daughters born to Michael J. and Violet (nee McGrath), both second generation Irish Americans and Catholic.

Healy excelled at academics. She was the top student of her high school class at Hunter College High School. Healy then attended Vassar College and graduated summa cum laude with a major in chemistry and a minor in philosophy in 1965. She was one of only ten women out of 120 students in her Harvard Medical School class. In 1970 she graduated with her MD cum laude.

For Healy's post graduate training, she stayed in the Washington, D. C. area. She completed her internship and residency training in cardiology at Johns Hopkins. She then spent two years at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at NIH before starting her professional career back at Johns Hopkins.

Since 1985, Healy has been married to Dr. Floyd D. Loop, a retired cardiac surgeon, and they have a daughter Marie McGrath Loop. Healy has another daughter, Bartlett Anne Bulkley, from her previous marriage to Dr. Gregory B. Bulkley, a surgeon.

Professional life

Johns Hopkins

Rose to the rank of professor of medicine. Took on many administrative duties including director of the coronary care unit and assistant dean for post-doctoral programs and faculty development. Dr. Healy played an instrumental role in ending the century-old Pithotomy Society after being lampooned in an annual show.

Government service

Presidential advisor

In 1984, Healy became deputy director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for the Reagan administration. She has been serving the administration of George W. Bush as an advisor on bio-terrorism on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology since 2001.

NIH

Appointed in 1991 by President George H. W. Bush to be the first female head of the institutes. Left when another director was appointed after the election of President Bill Clinton in 1993.

U.S. Senate candidate

Healy was a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1994. She ran in the GOP primary, but lost the race to Lt. Gov. Mike DeWine.

DeWine went on to win the general election.

Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health

Served as dean of the College and professor of medicine from 1995 to 1999. During her tenure, the college became designated as a national Center of Excellence in Women's Health. Also, a new department of orthopaedics was created along with a planned development of a Musculoskeletal Institute.

Several professors recruited during Healy's tenure and those they in turn recruited lead to the expansion, creation, or revitalization of several programs at the medical school.
* Albert de la Chappelle and Clara Bloomfield helped to expand of the college's programs in cancer research and tumor genetics.
* Robert Michler helped to revitalize the thoracic surgery and heart transplant programs.
* Pascal Goldschmidt's leadership led to the creation of the Heart and Lung Institute.

American Red Cross

Appointed as the president and CEO of the organization after Elizabeth Dole left to pursue political interests in 1999. Announced a forced resignation in October 2001 and retired on December 31, 2001, amid controversy over the handling of funds for victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

TASSC

Healy was a member of the Advisory board of The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition, an organization later shown to have been founded by PR firm APCO and funded by the Phillip Morris corporation to criticise scientific research inimical to the interests of tobacco companies and other corporations [http://tobaccodocuments.org/pm/2505646347-6368.html?zoom=750&ocr_position=above_foramatted&start_page=21] .

Press

Healy served as a CBS news medical consultant during part of her tenure at Ohio State University (1997 to 1999). Healy has written a column, "On Health," for "US News and World Report" since 2003. She has recently used this column to defend male circumcision. [http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/health-tips/2007/12/06/dont-be-scared-to-circumcise-your-baby-boy.html] . Healy entered the volatile vaccine injury controversy as the most well known medical establishment voice yet to break with her mainstream colleagues on the escalating vaccine-autism debate, pointing out that the question of whether or not vaccines cause autism spectrum disorders is still open. "I think that the public health officials have been too quick to dismiss the hypothesis as irrational," Healy said in a nationally televised CBS interview with Sharyl Attkisson. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/12/cbsnews_investigates/main4086809.shtml] Healy also stated public health officials have intentionally avoided researching whether subsets of children are “susceptible” to vaccine side effects because they are afraid the answer will scare the public.

References

* [http://www.edwardsly.com/healyb.htm Bernadine Healy]
* [http://www.osu.edu/osu/newsrel/Archive/99-07-08_Healy_Leaving_OSU_to_Head_Red_Cross.html Press release from Ohio State University regarding Healy's departure]
* [http://www.muc.edu/news/dr_bernadine_healy_white_house_advisor_on_bio_terrorism_to_present_commencement_address Mount Union College 2004 commencement speaker information]
* [http://www2.lakelandcc.edu/nora/events/iuser/news/newsmore.asp?ID=280 Lakeland Community College 2002 commencement speaker information]

External links

* [http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/whm/bio/healy_b.htm Gale Group bio]
* [http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_145.html Changing Face of Medicine]
* [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/opinion/bhealy.htm US News and World Report columns]