Dolores Cooper Shockley

Dolores Cooper Shockley (1929-2021) was an American pharmacologist and the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in pharmacology. She made significant contributions to the field of neuropharmacology, particularly in the study of drug addiction and neurotransmitters.

Early Life and Education[edit | edit source]

Dolores Cooper Shockley was born on September 24, 1929, in Nashville, Tennessee. She developed an interest in science at a young age, which was nurtured by her parents and teachers. She attended Tennessee State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry in 1949.

Shockley then pursued her graduate studies at Purdue University, where she earned a Master's degree in pharmacology in 1951. She continued her studies at Purdue, earning a Ph.D. in pharmacology in 1955, making her the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in this field.

Career[edit | edit source]

After earning her Ph.D., Shockley worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Julius Axelrod Laboratory at the National Institutes of Health. She then joined the faculty of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, where she served as a professor of pharmacology and later as the chair of the department.

Shockley's research focused on the effects of drugs on the central nervous system, particularly in relation to drug addiction. She made significant contributions to the understanding of how drugs affect neurotransmitter release and uptake in the brain.

Legacy[edit | edit source]

Shockley's pioneering work in pharmacology and her role as a trailblazer for African American women in science have been widely recognized. She received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the field, including the Society for Neuroscience's Mika Salpeter Lifetime Achievement Award.