Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D.
As the first female president of Brigham and Women's Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., is an inspiration for women in academic medicine, committed to supporting and promoting the careers of women and underrepresented minorities in the field. She also is working to ensure that Brigham and Women's continues to be a national leader in this time of health care reform, seizing the opportunities for academics and practitioners to advance patient care and research and inspire students.
Dr. Nabel previously directed the University of Michigan's Division of Cardiology and its Cardiovascular Research Center, where she led research in vascular biology, molecular cardiology and cardiovascular system gene transfer. She joined the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health as scientific director for clinical research in 1999, and in 2005 she was named the institute's director. She launched programs in genetics and genomics, stem and progenitor cell biology, translational research, global health and support for young investigators. She was active in public education and awareness programs, developing campaigns focused on women and heart disease as well as childhood obesity.
Dr. Nabel has published more than 250 articles. She is a member of the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences, the Association of American Physicians and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She serves on the editorial boards of New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine.
In recognition of her dedication to medicine and medical education, Drexel University College of Medicine is proud to confer upon Elizabeth G. Nabel the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.
Estelle B. Richman
Estelle B. Richman brings a lifetime of public service and management expertise to her role as chief operating officer for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She manages the agency's day-to-day operations, especially the reorganization of HUD's personnel, procurement and information technology, to create an environment for effective and productive service. She also contributes important expertise to the efforts under way to improve interagency communication.
Ms. Richman previously was secretary of public welfare for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Upon her move to HUD, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell called her “a beacon of hope” and said, “Secretary Richman has been a champion for vulnerable children and their families in every corner of Pennsylvania. Low-income families are stronger, healthier and on the road to self-sufficiency because of her passion for their well-being.” During Richman's seven years with the state, the percentage of foster children finding permanent homes increased, while the waiting list for mental-retardation services dropped. Food stamp fraud was rooted out, child-support collection improved and the first Bureau of Autism was created.
Ms. Richman also enjoyed a long career with the City of Philadelphia, as managing director, director of social services, commissioner of public health and deputy commissioner for mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse services.
A nationally recognized expert on behavioral health and children's services, Richman has been honored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association, among others. She received the 1998 Ford Foundation/Good Housekeeping Award for Women in Government.
Because of her advocacy of society's least privileged members and her extensive service to her city, state and nation, Drexel University College of Medicine is honored to confer upon Estelle Richman the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
