Contact Information

Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases and Muscle Research

jgwathmey@gwathmey.com
http://www.acicgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Gwathmey-CV.pdf
Cambridge MA 02138

Biography

Judith Wilcox, who until recently was Judith Gwathmey, earned her BA in 1972 and her V.M.D. in 1977 from the University of Pennsylvania. She earned a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 1983, and then did a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Cardiology division from 1983-86. She taught at Harvard Medical School from 1986 through 1995, and has held appointments at a number of schools including Professor of Medicine and Physiology at Boston University. In 1996 she founded Gwathmey Preclinical Services (Gwathmey Inc.) , where she served as Chief Scientific Officer, Chief Executive Officer and later President.

Gwathmey Inc. worked closely with industry and academics to shepherd new drugs and treatments through the animal testing needed to win FDA approval. The company also conducted its own research and won tens of millions in funding from government and private organizations, and holds several patents. As scientist, Dr.Wilcox has won many awards including the Daniel D. Savage Award for Outstanding Research in Clinical Investigation of Heart Failure from the American Association of Black Cardiologists. She was the first non-MD inducted into the American College of Cardiology in 1990, and has served as charter member of many NIH study sections. As an entrepreneur, Dr. Wilcox earned a number of awards, including The Tibbets Award for Excellence in Technology Development from the Small Business Administration. She has won several Inner City Entrepreneurs Awards.

A video that Dr. Gwathmey developed to promote her institute at Harvard won the Will Solimene Award for Excellence from the American Medical Writers Association. But Dr. Wilcox’s passion is mentoring young people. She has mentored students from high school through graduate and professional degrees, and young professionals throughout their careers. She has mentored men and women of all backgrounds, but has specially focused on women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). She has served as a mentor for young physician-scientists at Morehouse School of Medicine, the oldest historically black medical school in America. In 2003 she won the Distinguished Alumnus for Outstanding Achievements in Science and Mentoring from the Ohio State University. In 2001 she was awarded the prestigious Presidential Mentoring Award in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, from the Office of the President and the National Science Foundation. An early testimonial to her mentoring style can be found here.Dr. Wilcox has also been involved in civic activism. In 2008 she founded and chaired the Citizens for King William County, a voluntary association that sought to promote the historical character and environmental stability of King William County.

Against all odds and the “wisdom” of longtime county politicians, this organization helped to block a well-funded development plan that would have damaged the environment and the tranquility of this county, and to motivate citizens to replace well-entrenched incumbent politicians in a landslide election. Dr. Wilcox’s career – from a segregated school to Harvard Medical School and president of her own company, her mentoring of more than 100 young people, and her civic activism have led to some awards that she finds personally important. “Outstanding Woman of the Year” from the St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Aylett V.A., and “Woman of Conviction” from the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. Her motivation is best summarized by a clip she prepared for students recently, check video.

[REF: http://pglinstitute.org/?page_id=1585 ]