Polk, Gene-Ann

Gene-Ann Polk (October 3, 1926–January 3, 2015) was a distinguished American physician and professor who made significant contributions to pediatrics and public health. Born in Roselle, New Jersey, to Charles Carrington Polk, a physician, and Olive Mae Bond Polk—both Howard University alumni—she began her undergraduate studies at Howard University before graduating from Oberlin College in 1948, earned her M.D. from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1952, and later completed a Master of Public Health at Columbia University. Polk spent much of her career at Harlem Hospital, where she served as director of pediatric ambulatory care, director of pediatrics, and later head of ambulatory care services, while also teaching as a professor of clinical pediatrics at Columbia University. She was particularly known for her pioneering work with newborns affected by maternal drug dependency and for overseeing a neonatal transfusion program. Married to Dr. Edwin Clay Horne, she lived in Englewood, New Jersey, where she maintained a private medical practice, worked for a time in her father’s practice, raised two children, and remained active in community and medical-society service. She died in January 2015 after battling pancreatic cancer, leaving a lasting legacy reflected in her preserved papers at the Schomburg Center, her advances in pediatric care, and her influence as a mentor and leader in medicine.