Millicent Higgins, MD, DPH

Born: 1928

Higgins was born in England and educated at the University of Durham, arriving immediately after graduation at the University of Michigan in 1959 as a Research Fellow. She remained at Ann Arbor, where she directed the epidemiology program until 1984. Higgins made central contributions to the design and operation of the Tecumseh Community Study with particular researches on respiratory diseases and women and children’s diseases.

She married another British epidemiologist with whom she collaborated on research, Ian Higgins, and they have two sons.

After an extensive period as Associate Director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) from 1984-96, she returned to Michigan as an active emeritus professor of epidemiology and internal medicine. At NIH she was a branch director involved with epidemiological studies and clinical trials, where she initiated and supervised numerous extramural researches in epidemiology, served on the Advisory Council, and held national leadership roles in CVD prevention. (HB)