Juliann Bluitt Foster

Juliann Bluitt Foster (June 14, 1938 – April 17, 2019) was an American dentist and was among the first African American women to graduate from dentistry school. In 1993, she became the first woman President of the American College of Dentists, as well as the first woman President of the Chicago Dental Society in 1992.

Juliann Bluitt Foster

DDS
Born
Juliann Stephanie Bluitt

(1938-06-14)June 14, 1938
Washington, D.C.
DiedApril 17, 2019(2019-04-17) (aged 80)
Hilton Head, South Carolina
Alma materHoward University, BS (1958)
Howard University, DDS (1962)
OccupationDentist
EmployerNorthwestern University, 1967 – 2001
Chicago Board of Health, 1964 – 1967
OrganizationChicago Dental Society
American College of Dentists
Board member ofHealth Care Service Corporation
Spouse(s)Roscoe C. Foster Jr. (d. 2014)

Early life and education

Bluitt Foster grew up in segregated Washington, D.C. and attended private schools through the fourth grade when she was enrolled in public schools, graduating from Dunbar High School in 1955.[1] Her mother, Marion Eugenia Hughes, was a first-grade teacher and her father, Stephen Bernard Bluitt Jr., worked as a government payroll clerk.[1] She then attended Howard University for her undergraduate studies, received her Bachelor's degree in zoology in 1958.[2] She remained at Howard to pursue her doctorate of dentistry, graduating in 1962. In a 1988 interview with the Chicago Tribune, she said she chose dentistry because she wanted "to do something I could believe in, to be independent, to have a challenge and to do something that was different for a woman. I liked science and working with my hands."[2]

Career

In 1964, after graduating from Howard University, Bluitt Foster moved to Chicago, Illinois where she began working as a dentist for the Chicago Board of Health, providing dental care to children in the South Side Englewood area.[3] After practicing for three years, she joined the faculty at Northwestern University's dental school, where she became the director of the dental hygiene department, overseeing the training of dental hygienists.[3][4] In 1969, she became the associate dean of the Dental School.[5] In that capacity, she began developing a program in community dentistry to increase access to dental care; the program launched in 1972 and she managed it through 1978.[3]

In 1980, she began working as a director at the Health Care Service Corporation, which is the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois.[6][7] She continued working there after she retired from Northwestern University in 2001, continuing her work on securing grant funding, as well as in audit and compliance. In 2008, she retired from the Health Care Service Corporation, after 28 years.[3]

Leadership

In 1992, Bluitt Foster was elected to serve as president of the Chicago Dental Society for a one-year term, becoming the first woman to hold the position.[3] Before becoming president, she served in a number of other leadership positions, including as director and president of the organization's Kenwood-Hyde Park branch.[8] In 1993, she was elected to serve as president of the American College of Dentists, becoming the first woman to serve in this capacity when her term began in 1994 in the organization's 75-year history.[4][9] She also served on committees as part of the American Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association.[8]

Awards and honors
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References
  1. Weintraub, Karen (2019-06-03). "Juliann Bluitt Foster, Trailblazer in Dentistry, Is Dead at 80". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  2. Goldsborough, Bob. "Juliann Bluitt Foster, first female president of the Chicago Dental Society, dies at 80". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  3. Goldsborough, Bob. "Juliann Bluitt Foster, first female president of the Chicago Dental Society, dies at 80". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  4. "Juliann Bluitt Foster, Trailblazer in Dentistry, Is Dead at 80 | csbnnews". CSBN News. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  5. "Juliann Bluitt, DDS: Hidden No More - Northwestern University". www.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  6. Weintraub, Karen (2019-06-03). "Juliann Bluitt Foster, Trailblazer in Dentistry, Is Dead at 80". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  7. "Dr. Juliann Foster: A Life of Giving". itsallpink.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  8. Versaci, Mary Beth (2019-05-10). "First woman to serve as Chicago Dental Society president inspired others to follow dreams". www.ada.org. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  9. "HSDM/Oral Health History | Perspectives Of Change". perspectivesofchange.hms.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  10. Company, Johnson Publishing (1992-07-13). Jet. Johnson Publishing Company.
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