Ida Stephens Owens

Ida Stephens Owens (September 13, 1939 – February 24, 2020) was an American scientist known for her work with drug-detoxifying enzymes. She received her Ph.D from Duke University in 1967, making her one of the first two African Americans to receive a doctorate from the school. She spent her career at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she worked from 1968 to 2017 and pioneered the study of the genetics of human diseases and drug metabolism.

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April 10, 2026

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April 10, 2026

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"She taught me for only one course, but for some reason, I was always in her presence,” Owens said in a 2014 documentary about her life and career. “She had finished North Carolina Central herself and she had gone on to get her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. The fact that she had gotten a Ph.D.—she became my role model."

"but for some reason, I was always in her presence,"

"was interested in a more inclusive environment at Duke,” Owens said in 2015. “And I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Go for it!"