Biography and ida stephen owens
Ida Stephens Owens, one of Duke's first African American Ph.D.
Ida Stephens Owens (September 13, 1939 – February 24, 2020) was an.!
Ida Stephens Owens
American scientist (1939–2020)
Ida Stephens Owens (September 13, 1939 – February 24, 2020) was an American scientist known for her work with drug-detoxifying enzymes.
She received her Ph.D from Duke University in 1967, making her one of the first two African Americans to receive a doctorate from the school. She spent her career at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she worked from 1968 to 2017 and pioneered the study of the genetics of human diseases and drug metabolism.[3][4]
Early life
Ida Virginia Stephens Owens grew up on a farm in the small town of Whiteville, North Carolina.[5] Her mother died when she was six years old.[5]
Education
Owens' early education was in segregated public schools.[5] Owens then attended North Carolina College, now North Carolina Central University, graduating in 1961 summa cum laude in Biology (B.S.) and Mathematics (minor).[3][6] After g