HLS 19RS-3429 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 310
BY REPRESENTATIVE JIMMY HARRIS
COMMENDATIONS: Commends Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M., for her achievements
1 A RESOLUTION
2To commend Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M., for her numerous achievements.
3 WHEREAS, Dr. Higginbotham serves as the vice dean for inclusion and diversity
4of the Perelman School of Medicine, a senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for
5Health Economics, and a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania; and
6 WHEREAS, a New Orleans native and graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School,
7Dr. Higginbotham studied chemical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8(MIT), where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees; she went on to graduate from
9Harvard Medical School; and
10 WHEREAS, after completing an internship in San Francisco and an ophthalmology
11residency at Louisiana State University, she was a glaucoma fellow at Harvard; and
12 WHEREAS, Dr. Higginbotham began her illustrious career in patient care in 1985
13serving as a practicing ophthalmologist in numerous hospitals in conjunction with
14affiliations in medical academia; and
15 WHEREAS, in 1994, Dr. Higginbotham took on the role of chair of the
16ophthalmology department at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore;
17in 2000, she was elected to the Institute of Medicine; thereafter, she was dean and senior vice
18president for academic affairs at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta; and
19 WHEREAS, in 2010, she became senior vice president and executive dean for health
20sciences at Howard University and was appointed to a four-year term on the National Board
21of Medical Examiners, the organization responsible for the medical licensing examination
Page 1 of 3 HLS 19RS-3429 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 310
1in the United States; the following year, she was elected to the MIT Corporation, the school's
2board of trustees; and
3 WHEREAS, she is secretary of the board of directors of Ascension Health and serves
4on Ascension Health's executive, finance, and audit committees; Ascension Health is the
5largest Catholic health system in the United States; and
6 WHEREAS, she is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, serving as a
7member of the membership committee and section chair, and member of the American
8Clinical and Climatological Association and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences;
9Dr. Higginbotham is a member of the Defense Health Board of the Department of Defense
10and the board of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society; and
11 WHEREAS, Dr. Higginbotham is a former chair of the U.S. Food and Drug
12Administration Ophthalmic Devices Panel; she has authored over one hundred fifty peer-
13reviewed articles and co-edited four ophthalmology textbooks; and
14 WHEREAS, she is the recipient of over three dozen honors and awards, including
15the Women of Achievement Award from the YWCA, the Trailblazer Award from 100 Black
16Men of Atlanta, the Distinguished Black Marylanders Award from Towson University, two
17Woman of the Year awards from Zeta Beta Phi Sorority, Incorporated, and the American
18Academy of Ophthalmology's Senior Achievement Award; and
19 WHEREAS, while providing patient care by serving as a practicing glaucoma
20specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Higginbotham remains active in scholarship
21related to health policy, obesity, and surgery; her research interests include access to care,
22disease prevention, health equity, and global health; and
23 WHEREAS, Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M., merits the highest commendation and
24honor for her distinguished career and her invaluable contributions to the field of
25ophthalmology.
26 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
27Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M., for her
28numerous achievements; does hereby recognize and record her myriad accomplishments and
29vital contributions to the medical field; and does extend to her best wishes in all her future
30endeavors.
Page 2 of 3 HLS 19RS-3429 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 310
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Dr.
2Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 310 Original 2019 Regular Session Jimmy Harris
Commends Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M., for her numerous achievements.
Page 3 of 3