Haven Emerson

Haven Emerson (1874-1957) was an American public health physician.

Emerson was born in New York City on October 19, 1874. His father was John Haven Emerson, one of the city's first public health physicians.^[1] The younger Emerson was educated at Harvard University and graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons (P&S) in 1899. After completing a residency at Bellevue Hospital, he served for several years as an associate in physiology and medicine at P&S.^[1][2]

Emerson is best remembered for his contributions to public health and epidemiology. He was appointed Deputy Commissioner in the New York City Health Department in 1914. The following year he took over as Commissioner of Health for New York City. In later years, Emerson was a longtime member on the New York City Board of Health.^[2][3][1]

In 1917, as the United States was entering the First World War, Emerson enlisted in the United States Army at the rank of major. Surgeon General of the Army William C. Gorgas appointed him Chief Epidemiologist to the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in Tours, France. In this role, Emerson coordinated communicable disease reporting for the AEF throughout England, France, Italy, and eventually Russia.^[2][3][4]

After demobilization, Emerson became the first Director of Columbia's DeLamar Institute of Public Health. Among his many other contributions to the field of public health, Emerson conducted health surveys of numerous American cities, spearheaded development of a standardized disease nomenclature, and participated in the Health Section of the League of Nations.^[3]. In the 1930s and 1940s he led studies of hospital services and administration and is recognized for co-establishing the Hospital Council of Greater New York in 1938.^[3] Haven was president of the American Public Health Association in 1933-1934. The APHA awarded him a Sedgwick Memorial Medal in 1935 and a Lasker Award "for extraordinary achievement in developing a program of complete local health service in every area of the U.S." from the American Public Health Association in 1949.^[2]

Emerson married Grace Parrish in 1901 and they had five children.^[3] Their son, John Haven Emerson, was an inventor of biomedical devices best remembered for making significant improvements on the iron lung. Haven Emerson died in Greenport, New York in 1957.^[4]