Ohio

Ruth Ella Moore was born May 19, 1903, in Columbus, Ohio. There is very little information available about her early life but Moore was destined to be a great symbol of pride and determination for the Black community throughout the U.S. and the world.

Education

For both her undergraduate and graduate programs, Moore attended Ohio State University. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 1926. Just one year later, in 1927, she earned her Master of Science degree. By 1933, Moore made history, becoming the first Black woman to earn her Ph.D. in a natural science. She became the first Black woman bacteriologist. Moore wrote her dissertation on the Tuberculosis bacteria. Her dissertations were titled, “Studies on Dissociation of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis” and “A New Method of Concentration on the Tubercule Bacilli as Applied to Sputum and Urine Examination.”  

Career

Moore’s career began while she was in graduate school. She worked at Tennessee State College (now Tennessee State University), teaching hygiene and English. Her paper on the immunology of dental caries was published in 1938. By 1939, she had become the assistant professor of bacteriology at Howard University College of Medicine. Throughout the 1950s, Moore published more essays, most of which covered the different blood types in the Black community. By 1955, Moore was named Head of the Department of Bacteriology. She was then promoted to the rank of associate professor of microbiology in 1960 and in 1963, she published an essay on the sensitivity of stomach microorganisms to antibiotics.

Legacy

By the early 1970s, she retired but still held the position of associate professor emeritus of microbiology. Ruth Ella Moore died in Rockville, Maryland in 1994. She was 91 years old. In addition to being the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in a natural science, she–along with other scientists–was recognized in 2005 by the U.S. for her contribution to medicine.     Thank you all for reading my article. I’m a part of the largest online marketplace for Black-owned businesses called We Buy Black. Similar to Etsy or Amazon, this website allows for Black-owned businesses to create a shop and sell their amazing products to the world! If you have a product, you should definitely join this platform! We Buy Black also has it’s Inaugural We Buy Black Convention happening this November 16th-17th in Atlanta, GA and I hope to see you all there. In fact, I along with hundreds of others will be wearing our official We Buy Black T-shirt, so here’s my gift to you: Get 50% off the official WBB T-shirt using my code WBB2018. Peace, family!]]>

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