Dr. Yvonne T. Maddox, Ph.D. is President and Chief Executive Officer of the TA Thornton Foundation, a family foundation dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of underserved communities. Dr. Maddox previously served as Vice President for Research and Professor of Allied Health Sciences at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), a part of the Department of Defense, where she oversaw a robust clinical and basic science research portfolio, including infectious diseases, trauma and critical care medicine, health maintenance, post-traumatic stress, and traumatic brain injury. Prior to joining USUHS, Dr. Maddox held many leadership positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including Acting Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Deputy Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and Acting Deputy Director of the entire NIH.
Throughout her academic and government career, Dr. Maddox has been a champion of issues related to women, children, and underserved populations. Among her many accomplishments include leading teams of international scientists in the field of reproductive health as part of bi lateral agreements between the U.S., India, and Africa; directing the highly recognized NIH program (the Back to Sleep Campaign) to reduce sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); creating the NIH Down Syndrome (DS) Consortium, a federal/private partnership to advance research in DS; and initiating the NIH-funded Well Prepared and Fit for Life childhood obesity reduction programs. Dr. Maddox has numerous research and public policy publications and is a recognized speaker in the area of public trust and community engagement in medical research. Her memberships on critically important committees and working groups, several as chairperson, demonstrate her commitment to improving the health and wellness of minority populations and to increasing their opportunities in science and biomedical research. Recently, she was appointed as the Senior Strategic Advisor for the NIH Path to Excellence and Innovation Initiative to advance funding opportunities for Historical Black Colleges and Universities.
Among her current memberships on advisory boards and committees include: the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)/NIH Council Working Group on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; the Federal Nutrition Research Advisory Group; the American Society for Nutrition Foundation Board of Trustees Executive Committee; the Black AIDS Institute Scientific Advisory Committee, and the Miraki Innovation Board of Directors.
Dr. Maddox has received many honors and awards, including the United States Presidential Distinguished Executive Rank Award (the highest honor for a career civil servant), United States Presidential Meritorious Rank Award, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Career Achievement Award, Public Health Service Special Recognition Award, DHHS Secretary’s Award, NIH Director’s Award (including one that bears her name), National Down Syndrome Society Champion of Change Award, Research Down Syndrome Foundation Light the Way Award, Delta Sigma Theta Award for Public Service, the National Council of Negro Women Partnership Award, the Hela Leadership Award for Excellence in Reproductive Medicine, Induction into the Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Hall of Fame, and selection as one of the top 30 Women in Higher Education by the Journal, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. She is the recipient of several honorary degrees.
Dr. Maddox received her B.S. in biology from Virginia Union University, Richmond, and her Ph.D. in physiology from Georgetown University. She studied as a Visiting Scientist at the French Atomic Energy Commission, Saclay, France and graduated from the Senior Managers in Government Program of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.