Susan C. Scrimshaw ’67, PhD

Susan ScrimshawSusan C. Scrimshaw ’67, PhD, believes that her Barnard experience provided the basis for her professional success. A pioneering medical anthropologist, past president of Russell Sage College, and elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, Susan led interdisciplinary research aimed at resolving health disparities around the world, particularly for women. As part of Barnard’s Year of Science, the College honored Susan at the 2022 Gala with a Joan Rivers ’54 Trailblazer Award.

Susan Scrimshaw

Susan led her class in establishing a Class of 1967 Legacy Fund to support students who pursue STEM research via Barnard’s Summer Research Institute. She has included the College in her estate plan to support this initiative.

“Barnard allowed me to do whatever I had the capacity to take on. As a sophomore, I began taking graduate courses at Columbia because I could, and that prepared me for graduate school and my career. At a time when women were discouraged from going beyond a college education, Barnard faculty gave me the tools and encouragement to succeed as a woman in a less than supportive health sciences world, and the confidence to stand up to bias against women and social scientists and to thrive professionally,” Susan states.

“I am supporting many causes and am limited in how much I can donate each year. Allocating a portion of my estate to Barnard allows me to make a much larger and more impactful gift. I can provide for my children, other charities, and my alma mater through deferred giving. To me, it feels very good to give back to Barnard and support Barnard women.”