ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 310
BY REPRESENTATIVE JIMMY HARRIS
A RESOLUTION
To commend Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M., for her numerous achievements.
WHEREAS, Dr. Higginbotham serves as the vice dean for inclusion and diversity
of the Perelman School of Medicine, a senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for
Health Economics, and a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, a New Orleans native and graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School,
Dr. Higginbotham studied chemical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees; she went on to graduate from
Harvard Medical School; and
WHEREAS, after completing an internship in San Francisco and an ophthalmology
residency at Louisiana State University, she was a glaucoma fellow at Harvard; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Higginbotham began her illustrious career in patient care in 1985
serving as a practicing ophthalmologist in numerous hospitals in conjunction with
affiliations in medical academia; and
WHEREAS, in 1994, Dr. Higginbotham took on the role of chair of the
ophthalmology department at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore;
in 2000, she was elected to the Institute of Medicine; thereafter, she was dean and senior vice
president for academic affairs at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta; and
WHEREAS, in 2010, she became senior vice president and executive dean for health
sciences at Howard University and was appointed to a four-year term on the National Board
of Medical Examiners, the organization responsible for the medical licensing examination
in the United States; the following year, she was elected to the MIT Corporation, the school's
board of trustees; and
WHEREAS, she is secretary of the board of directors of Ascension Health and serves
on Ascension Health's executive, finance, and audit committees; Ascension Health is the
largest Catholic health system in the United States; and
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WHEREAS, she is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, serving as a
member of the membership committee and section chair, and member of the American
Clinical and Climatological Association and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences;
Dr. Higginbotham is a member of the Defense Health Board of the Department of Defense
and the board of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Higginbotham is a former chair of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration Ophthalmic Devices Panel; she has authored over one hundred fifty peer-
reviewed articles and co-edited four ophthalmology textbooks; and
WHEREAS, she is the recipient of over three dozen honors and awards, including
the Women of Achievement Award from the YWCA, the Trailblazer Award from 100 Black
Men of Atlanta, the Distinguished Black Marylanders Award from Towson University, two
Woman of the Year awards from Zeta Beta Phi Sorority, Incorporated, and the American
Academy of Ophthalmology's Senior Achievement Award; and
WHEREAS, while providing patient care by serving as a practicing glaucoma
specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Higginbotham remains active in scholarship
related to health policy, obesity, and surgery; her research interests include access to care,
disease prevention, health equity, and global health; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M., merits the highest commendation and
honor for her distinguished career and her invaluable contributions to the field of
ophthalmology.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M., for her
numerous achievements; does hereby recognize and record her myriad accomplishments and
vital contributions to the medical field; and does extend to her best wishes in all her future
endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Dr.
Eve J. Higginbotham, S.M.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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