{"id":26255,"date":"2023-02-23T11:00:42","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T16:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/?p=26255"},"modified":"2023-08-17T14:15:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T18:15:33","slug":"remembering-the-syphilis-study-at-tuskegee-and-macon-county-al","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov\/2023\/02\/23\/remembering-the-syphilis-study-at-tuskegee-and-macon-county-al\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the Syphilis Study at Tuskegee and Macon County, AL"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1973, Dr. R.C. Backus, Executive Secretary of the Tuskegee Syphilis Ad Hoc Advisory Panel, donated to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) photocopies of original correspondence, memoranda, meeting minutes, reports, and scientific articles on the origin, development, and investigation of the<\/em> U.S. Public Health Service <\/em>Syphilis Study at Tuskegee. NLM\u2019s stewardship of this collection<\/a> supports the Library\u2019s mission to enable biomedical research, support health care and public health, and promote healthy behavior. Today, <\/em>Circulating Now welcomes our Health and Human Services (HHS) colleagues Susan K. Laird and Termika N. Smith from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to relate their experience with hosting a special event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the closing of the study.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Copy of the Final Report of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Ad Hoc Advisory Panel<\/em><\/a>, 1973.
National Library of Medicine #2934097R<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The year 2022 marked 50 years<\/a> since the ending of the U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee and Macon County, AL. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) played an active role in both the continuation and subsequent ending of the study. This important, yet somber, event presented an opportunity for CDC to provide an educational experience that would not only present what happened, but why it happened, lessons learned, the implementation of regulatory and other policies that would ensure human subjects protection and prevent this type of unethical research from ever occurring again, and CDC\u2019s on-going role in addressing health equity. Notably, with so many years passing since the end of the Study, those who could provide a first-person perspective have only a limited number of opportunities to continue to share their story. Additionally, new, and even seasoned public health professionals may not be as familiar with the legacy of the study. Importantly, Syphilis Study survivors had but two requests when the Study ended: (1) to never be forgotten and (2) that this would never be allowed to happen again.\u00a0 This event sought to continue CDC\u2019s role in honoring both those requests.<\/p>\n