Moore, Ruth Ella
1903-1994 · Contribution: 1933-1973
Bacteriologist and microbiologist
Bacteriology and microbiology research, tuberculosis, blood-group distribution among Black Americans, dental caries, and the response of gut microorganisms to antibiotics

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Quick facts
- Born
- 1903, Columbus, Ohio
- Active since
- 1933
- Category
- Science & Medicine
- Best known for
- First African American woman to earn a PhD in a natural science
Impact on the world
Moore broke multiple barriers in microbiology and conducted research spanning infectious disease, immunology, and the human microbiome, decades before microbiome science took off.
An alternative history
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Sources
- Source lookupFind
American Society for Microbiology
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Related visionaries
Daly, Marie Maynard
1921-2003
First African American woman to earn a PhD in chemistry in the United States
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Reproductive endocrinology research
Hinton, William Augustus
1883-1959
Bacteriology, pathology, and public health; developed the Hinton test (1927), a more accurate, inexpensive blood-serum (flocculation) test for syphilis, and, with J.A.V. Davies, the Davies-Hinton test; authored the first medical textbook published by an African American ('Syphilis and Its Treatment,' 1936)
Poindexter, Hildrus Augustus
1901-1987
Bacteriology and the epidemiology of tropical diseases, malaria, schistosomiasis, and other infectious diseases; field research and disease-control programs across Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean