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Heroes of Public Health

Justin Andrews, ScD

Justin Andrews, ScD

"Justin Andrews was a colorful man in addition to being redheaded," a colleague said. Legend has it that no student skipped his lectures in parasitology and malariology because of his teaching style, which often included aphorisms for emphasis. As an administrator with the Georgia Department of Public Health, he instituted training programs, radio presentations and community meetings to increase public knowledge about malaria and hookworm.

After service in World War II, as officer in charge of a malaria control unit, Dr. Andrews was a commissioned officer in the Scientist Crops of the U.S. Public Health Service, assigned to what is now the Centers for Disease Control. He was the first scientist to hold the rank of general. His final assignment was director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.