Dr. james bowman biography
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James E. Bowman, MD: A Legacy
The Bowman Society celebrates a decade of mentorship for minority physician-scientists.
By Brooke E. O’Neill
When renowned University of Chicago genetics researcher James Bowman, MD, was first approached about using his namesake for a new society to support underrepresented minorities in their academic medical careers, he was honored—but hesitant. As the Biological Sciences Division’s first tenured African-American professor and a mentor to countless students and faculty, Bowman wanted to make sure the organization had legs to last beyond a few meetings.
Ten years later, the Bowman Society is still going strong, bringing together physician-scientists for mentorship and scholarly discussion on health-care issues affecting minority communities. To date, its lecture series has hosted more than 45 talks, drawing speakers such as former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin and, most recently, MacArthur Genius Award recipient Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD w
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The life and times of a trailblazing physician-scientist
In 1970, there was no treatment for the blood disorder sickle cell anemia, and knowledge of how to manage it was rudimentary. For patients, life expectancy was about 20 years. Roughly one in 500 African Americans was born with the condition, noted an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association that October. Yet funding was a fraction of that for less prevalent disorders afflicting other groups, the author wrote.
On the streets, the Black Panther Party took matters into its own hands, utilizing a newly available testing kit to mobilize screening in African American communities, including in Chicago.
In February 1971, President Richard Nixon designated sickle cell anemia one of two critical areas for urgent investment under his proposed “National Health Strategy.” The other was cancer. The following year, he signed the National Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act, which authorized funding for screenin
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Family and Early Education
James Edward Bowman, Jr., was born February 5th, 1923 in Washington D.C. to his parents James Edward Sr. and Dorothy Bowman. His father was a practicing dentist and his mother was a stay-at-home parent (Oral History... 2021).
Bowman attended Dunbar High School, an education center for African-American youth before moving on to university (Oral History... 2021).
After completing his postsecondary education, he would go on to marry his wife, Barbara (Oral History... 2021), and together they raised their daughter Valerie Jarrett (nee Bowman) in Iran (Suarez-Diaz 2017). Valerie went on to serve as Senior Advisor of the Obama Administration from 2009 to 2017.
After graduating from Dunbar, Bowman went on to complete a Bachelor of Science in Biology through Howard University (In Memoriam... 2012). Then he set his sights on becoming a Medical Doctor, enrolling in a three-year schema through Howard's medical department.
After completing the pro