Noguchi, Constance Tom (1948–)

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Noguchi, Constance Tom (1948–)

American medical researcher. Name variations: Connie Noguchi; Constance or Connie Tom. Born Constance Tom, Dec 8, 1948, in Kuangchou, Canton, China; grew up in San Francisco, CA; dau. of James Tom (Chinese-American engineer) and Irene Cheung (Chinese); graduate in physics at University of California, Berkeley, 1970; George Washington University, PhD in theoretical nuclear physics, 1975; m. Phil Noguchi; children: 2 sons.

Known for research in sickle cell disease, worked at National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD, then as chief of NIH's National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases' (NIDDK) chemical biology laboratory; served as dean of NIH's Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES); studied hydroxyurea, which increases amount of healthy red blood cells; studied production of hemoglobin and red blood cell chemicals through gene interaction in both healthy and sickle cell disease patients. Received NIH EEO Recognition Award (1995).