Dr. Yvonne Thompson Maddox is the deputy director of the NICHD at the NIH, a position she has held since January 1995. In this role, Dr. Maddox guides the organizations and programs of the NICHD, advises the director on matters regarding the internal affairs of the $1.2 billion Institute budget, and oversees the extramural program that supports research on child development, developmental biology, nutrition, AIDS, mental retardation, population issues, reproductive biology, contraception, pregnancy, and medical rehabilitation. From January 2000, to June 2002, Dr. Maddox also served as the acting deputy director of the NIH.

Throughout her academic and government career, Dr. Maddox has been a champion of issues related to women and children. She leads two teams of international scientists as part of a joint India-U.S. Partnership to improve reproductive health and maternal and child health in both countries; more recently, she developed a similar health partnership between the U.S. and several sub-Saharan African nations. As co-chair of NIH’s working group to develop the strategic plan to eliminate health disparities, Dr. Maddox provided messages of awareness of and participation in medical research for affected communities to improve their health. Dr. Maddox also served as executive director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Cancer Health Disparities Progress Review Group and co-chair of the DHHS Initiative to Reduce Infant Mortality in Minority Communities.

During her career at NIH, Dr. Maddox has received numerous honors and awards, including both the Presidential Distinguished Executive Rank Award and the Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award, as well as the Public Health Service Special Recognition Award and the NIH Director’s Award. She was the 2002 inductee in the field of medicine to the Historical Black College and Universities (HBCU) Hall of Fame, and, in 2005, she received the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Distinguished Public Service Award. Along with former President William Clinton, Dr. Maddox received the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Flame Award in recognition of her service to improve public health. Dr. Maddox has received several honorary degrees, is a member of the American Physiological Society, and has served on many public service and academic boards. She has authored numerous scientific papers and review articles.

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.