Former Robert Winthrop Professor of Neurobiology, Emeritus
David D. Potter, PhD (1930-2019), was the Robert Winthrop Professor of Neurobiology, Emeritus at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Potter earned his PhD from Harvard College in 1956. He joined the medical school in 1959, and was part of the inaugural Department of Neurobiology in 1966, serving as department chair from 1982 to 1990.
A strong advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equity, Dr. Potter was a crucial part of the group who petitioned for an affirmative action program at Harvard Medical School following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Funding his own travel, Dr. Potter recruited minority student applicants from Historically Black Colleges in 1968.
Dr. Potter and Dr. Edwin Furshpan led the Native American High School Summer Program which brought high school students to Harvard Medical School for three weeks to attend lectures, participate in small-group, case-based learning sessions, and present a final project.