Juliann Bluitt

Juliann Bluitt Foster (June 14, 1938 – April 17, 2019) . Bluitt was born and raised in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 1938. She was the only child to Marion Eugenia Hughes and Stephen Bernard Bluitt. 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.

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. Her mother, Marion Eugenia Hughes, was a first-grade teacher and her father, Stephen Bernard Bluitt Jr., worked as a government payroll clerk. "She graduated from the unique Howard University for her undergraduate studies, received her bachelor's degree in zoology in 1958. She began expanding her knowledge at Howard to pursue her doctorate of dentistry, graduating in 1962. In a 1988 Chicago Tribune interview, she stated 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." Aside from her passion for dentistry on her free-time she enjoyed traveling the world, playing golf and spending time with her pets. “Juliann Bluitt inspired me and countless others to pursue our dreams without limitation.” 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. 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. 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. She also served on committees as part of the American Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association.