Mary Starke Harper

Mary Starke Harper (September 6, 1919 – July 27, 2006) was an African American nurse who worked in bedside nursing, nurse research and health policy. She spent several years working for the Department of Veterans Affairs. She performed clinical research on the geriatric psychiatric population and minority health. In 1972, Harper created the NIMH Minority Fellowship Program.

Early life Mary Starke Harper was born in Fort Mitchell, Alabama on September 6, 1919 and later moved to Phenix City. and she decided to attend the University of Minnesota instead, a school which at the time had never had a black woman graduate from their program. In 1963, Harper graduated from St. Louis University with a doctorate in medical sociology and clinical psychology. As a young nurse, she did not know the extent of the study or that several of her patients were denied treatment. Later, Harper's sister died and from 1972 to 1998, Harper moved to Washington, DC to raise her sister's three sons and care for her elderly mother. Additionally, in 2001, hospital administration in Tuscaloosa, Alabama named the Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatric Center in her honor.

Awards and honors Mary Starke Harper earned numerous awards in her time as nurse and researcher. The Tuskegee Institute recognized Harper as Best All Around Nurse, Scholastically and Clinically. In 1963, she earned the Federal Nursing Service Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the US. The Veterans Affairs awarded Harper the Surgeon General's Medal of Honor twice for her patient advocacy. In 1966, Harper was inducted into Chi Eta Phi sorority and recognized for her outstanding achievements. In 1970, the Tuskegee Institute selected Harper to receive the Alumni Merit Award. In 2001, Harper won the Living Legacy Award in Aging from the American Academy of Nursing. At the ANA convention, she received the Mary Mahoney Award which commended a nurse who advanced equal opportunities for minority groups.

Later years Mary Starke Harper lived in Washington, D.C. until 1998 before moving back to Columbus, Georgia. She died of cancer on July 27, 2006. She was 86 years old. Her papers can be found at the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania.