James Raphael Gavin, III (1945- ), a medical doctor, was born in Mobile, Alabama. He received his primary and secondary education in Mobile.
As a child, James often visited his great-grandmother, Rennie. He enjoyed his time with her and loved her dearly. She lived in rural Selma, Alabama, and James looked forward to his visits with her. His great-grandmother who he called "Mama Rennie," was a kind and generous woman. She was quite energetic and she and James loved doing things together. Great-grandmother Rennie was lots of fun and often made James laugh. Momma Rennie was such an excellent storyteller and James enjoyed their conversations together. However, on one of his visits to see great-grandmother Rennie, James was shocked to find her in bed because she had been such an outgoing and fun-loving person. He was even more stunned to see that one of her legs was gone. Her leg had been amputated. Not only was James shocked to find her in this condition, but he was puzzled and confused. What was so puzzling to James was that none of the adults seemed to want to talk about great-grandmother Rennie's condition or what happened to her leg. When James went to visit her the next summer, he was even more disturbed and confused to find that his great-grandmother's other leg was gone and she was now too sick to sit and talk. Seeing his great-grandmother in this condition really bothered James. Great-grandmother Rennie could no longer engage him with her funny stories, laughter, and kind spirit because she was too sick. Later that year, great-grandmother "Mama Rennie," died. James was so sad and could not understand why the adults kept talking about "sugar."
Sugar? What did the adults mean by "sugar?" How could sugar cause anyone to lose a leg or die? Both James and the adults knew that foods with lots of sugar tasted sweet and were so good. As a child, he could not understand nor believe that sugar could cause harm. Later, he would not only understand the relationship between diet, obesity, and sugar, a disease better known as diabetes, but would know how its effects impacted people of all races, and especially African-Americans and Latinos.
James continued his studies as well as his quest for knowledge in regards to "sugar" and diabetes. He did not want others to suffer the devastating impact of diabetes and devoted his life to the prevention of diabetes.
After high school in Mobile, Alabama, James attended Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, where in 1966, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. He graduated magna cum laude, an undergraduate degree with great distinction. After earning his degree, James continued his studies and in 1970, received a Ph.D. from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia where he majored in biochemistry. He became involved with diabetes during a two-year post-doctoral period in the diabetes branch at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Dr. James Gavin earned a medical degree from Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina in 1975. He is now President and Professor of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. Before he became President, he was Senior Scientific Officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland and Director of the National Institutes of Health Research Scholars Program. He has also been a Professor and Chief of the Diabetes Section, Acting Chief of the Section on Endocrinology, Metabolism and Hypertension, and the William K. Warren Professor for Diabetes Studies at the University of Oklahoma health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. He has received numerous awards and honors, and authored more than 180 manuscripts, book chapters and scientific abstracts. He is a national authority on diabetes.
Did you know that Walter Lester Henry, Jr., born in 1915, was an endocrinologist and physician, who made a career in the research of diabetes and the role of insulin in the body. His research showed that the disease was more related to diet and exercise than other causes.
Hey kids! Want to be inspired? Let's read a great book about a little girl who decides to makes changes in her life and her health. I Get So Hungry by Bebe Moore Campbell will entertain and encourage you to be the best you can be!
Do you have lachanophobia? Lachanophobia is a fear of eating vegetables. However, we all know that vegetables are " so gooood" for us, so we have no fear.
Did you know that the potato chip was invented in 1853 by George Crum, the son of an African American father and Native American mother. While working as a chef at the Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs, New York, a customer thought the French-fried potatoes that Crum had prepared were too thick and sent them back to the kitchen. Mr. Crum responded by slicing the potatoes as thin as he possibly could, fried them, and sent them back to the fussy customer. The customer liked them a lot and other customers wanted the crispy fries. George Crum's "Saratoga Chips" or the potato chip was born.
