HONORING AN INTERNATIONAL LEADER AND
DAUGHTER OF HOWARD
Give now to the Roselyn Payne Epps, M.D. University Chair and help Howard University build the next generation of leadership. The Roselyn Payne Epps, M.D. University Chair honors the contributions of this celebrated daughter of Howard.
The Epps Chair will help Howard recruit and retain leading scholars to our faculty, continuing the University’s legacy of extraordinary teaching, research, and public service. The Epps Professor will be an individual whose distinguished work and leadership are recognized internationally. Created as a University Chair, the Epps Professor will have an interdisciplinary approach to scholarship—helping to foster cross-departmental and inter-school collaborations.
At Howard University, Dr. Roselyn Payne Epps received the B.S., Cum Laude in 1951, and M.D. with honors in 1955. She completed her internship and pediatric residency at Freedmen’s Hospital. Dr. Epps earned the M.P.H. degree from Johns Hopkins University, and the M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from American University.
Her public health career began in the D.C. Health Department. Dr. Epps served as Chief and Director of multiple services, and was appointed ultimately the first Acting Commissioner of Public Health for the District of Columbia.
At Howard University, Dr. Epps was founding Director of the High Risk Young People’s Project, Chief of the Child Development Division and Director of the Child Development Center. Also, she served as the Senior Program Advisor at Howard’s Women’s Health Institute.
As an Expert at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Epps specialized in smoking cessation techniques nationwide, and internationally. Subsequently, she was a maternal and child health and technology consultant.
A pioneer and leader, Dr. Epps was the first African-American local and national president of the American Medical Women’s Association. She was the first African American and first woman president of the D.C. Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the first African American woman president of the Medical Society of D.C. She was national president of Girls, Incorporated. She was the first African American president of Cosmos Club.
Dr. Epps authored or co-authored more than 95 peer-reviewed articles, co-edited 17 scientific chapters, co-edited 14 books and monographs, and made more than 300 presentations. Dr. Epps’ more than 60 honors included The Federal Woman’s Award and Howard University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
For 59 years, she was married to Howard University classmate, Charles H. Epps, Jr., M. D. Of their four children, two sons and their daughter earned M. D. degrees, and one son earned the M.B.A. They have four grandsons.