Tuskegee Syphilis Study Subject of Talk at SUNY Downstate, April 4
Apr 1, 2013
“The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: Why Does It Still Matter?,” will be the subject of a talk at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University on Thursday, April 4, 2013 from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 pm, in the Basic Sciences Building, Lecture Hall 1, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203.
This discussion of why the infamous Tuskegee study still matters more than four decades after it was ended will be presented by James H. Jones, PhD, author of the book, Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, A Tragedy of Race and Medicine. The book received the Arthur Viseltear Prize from the American Public Health Association and was selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Reviewas one of the 12 "Best Books" published in 1981.
The Tuskegee experiment was a study performed by the Unites States Public Health Service in which several hundred rural black men infected with syphilis were observed in order to determine the natural history of the disease. The study began in 1932 and was not ended until 1972. The men were told they had “bad blood,” a phrase used locally to cover a variety of illnesses, but they were never told they had syphilis. Despite the adoption of penicillin to successfully treat syphilis in the 1940s, the men in the study did not receive the medication.
James H. Jones is the distinguished alumni professor of history, emeritus, at the University of Arkansas. He received his PhD in American social and intellectual history from Indiana University. He has held fellowships from the Grant Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, Harvard University, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Jones is also the author of Alfred C. Kinsey: A Public/Private Life, one of two finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in biography. His articles and book reviews have appeared in publications as diverse as The New Yorker and The Hastings Center Report, and he has appeared on "Good Morning America" and "The Today Show."
The talk is part of the HIV/ID Seminar Series and is supported by SUNY Downstate’s John Conley Division of Medical Ethics and Humanities.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.