Biologics Regulation and ResearchThe People and Work of Buildings 29 & 29A

Dr. Ruth Kirschstein attended medical school at Tulane University. This was one of her textbooks from her days in Louisiana. The Anatomy of the Nervous System: Its Development and Function (1947) was written by Stephen Walter Ranson.

Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum 

Dr. Ruth Kirschstein was a champion of minorities in the sciences throughout her career. She received this award in 1988 at a ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia.

Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum 

Dr. Ruth Kirschstein collected hand fans. Some were given to her by visitors to the NIH when she was the NIH Deputy Director or the NIH Acting Director. This Japanese fan depicts three men and two horses walking through a mountain pass.

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There are some people who live on the NIH campus in Public Health Service housing; Dr. Ruth Kirschstein and her husband Dr. Alan Rabson were lucky to have a walking commute to work. In later years, residents had their own parking permits like this one.

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This paperweight celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 1902 Biologics Control Act, which established licensing requirements for manufacturers of serums, anti-toxins, vaccines, and other such products. This responsibility fell first to the Hygienic Laboratory (the NIH's precursor), then to the NIH's Division of Biologics Standards, and finally was transferred to the Food and Drug Administration in 1972, where it eventually came under the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. This paperweight was given to Dr. Ruth Kirschstein.

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The NIH has worked with NASA on biomedical experiments in space. This lapel pin, which belonged to Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, commemorates the flight of NASA Space Shuttle Columbia, launched on January 16, 2003 for an international scientific research flight. The shuttle was lost during reentry over Texas. The names are those of the lost astronauts: commander Rick Husband; pilot William McCool; mission specialists Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Laurel Clark; and payload specialist Ilan Ramon.

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The medal celebrates the adoption of the French constitution in 1958. The designer, Henri Dropsy (1885-1968), was a noted sculptor, engraver, and medalist of bas relief as well as the director of the Paris mint. We don't know if someone gave this to Dr. Ruth Kirschstein as a representative of the NIH or if she obtained it herself.

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The FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation presented to the Science Board subcommittee on FDA Research, of which Dr. Kirschstein was a member. The Science Board subcommittee’s role was to provide recommendations to the FDA Science Board on appropriate criteria for determining the quality and mission relevance of FDA-sponsored laboratory investigation. 

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The Geraldine P. Woods Award that Dr. Kirschstein received in 2002 at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. She was praised for her leadership, dedication, and commitment to the research training of minorities while at the head of NIGMS and NIH. 

Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum 

Dr. Margaret Pittman owned this very early mechanical pencil, likely acquired during her graduate studies at the University of Chicago.

Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum

Dr. Pittman’s Reference Card Files. Her system from her student days through the mid-1970s to keep track of reference papers by subject. Some cards have her summaries of the paper attached.

Office of NIH History & Stetten Musuem

Dr. Pittman’s Reference Card Files. Her system from her student days through the mid-1970s to keep track of reference papers by subject. Some cards have her summaries of the paper attached.

Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum