death_place death_date birth_place fields birth_date known_for article_title name alma_mater
bethesda , maryland 6 october 2009 brooklyn , new york pathology , government administration 12 october 1926 polio vaccine safety research ruth l. kirschstein
 ruth l. kirschtein long island university
ruth l. kirschstein

ruth l. kirschstein , m.d. -lrb- 12 october 1926 -- 6 october 2009 -rrb- was a pathologist and science administrator at the national institutes of health -lrb- nih -rrb- .
dr. kirschstein served as director of the national institute of general medical sciences , deputy director of nih in the 1990s , and acting director of the nih in 1993 and 2000-2002 .
she was a fellow of the american academy of arts & sciences and a member of the institute of medicine .
in 2002 , congress renamed the nih graduate student fellowship program to the ruth l. kirschstein national research service award in honor of dr. kirschstein 's work at the nih .
although she had trained as a classical pianist , she pursued medicine , graduating in 1947 from long island university and earning a doctor of medicine medical degree from tulane university in 1951 .
she interned in medicine and surgery at kings county hospital and completed medical residencies in pathology at providence hospital in detroit , tulane university hospital , and the clinical center at the nih .
