As part of UC Berkeley’s 150 Years of Women mural project, Dr. Mary Blackburn was recognized among the trailblazers who have shaped the university’s public mission. The mural not only celebrates individual achievement, it highlights a legacy of impact that continues to influence communities and future leaders.
Dr. Blackburn’s career represents the best of UC Cooperative Extension’s applied research and extension model. A UC Berkeley-trained public health and nutrition expert, she has spent decades advancing community health in Alameda County and throughout the Bay Area and California. through work on food access, chronic disease prevention, and culturally responsive nutrition education. Her early integration of gardening, nutrition, and public health was ahead of its time and remains just as relevant today.
Her story also reflects a broader history of perseverance and firsts. As highlighted in a recent UC Berkeley feature on Black pioneers in STEM, Dr. Blackburn was part of the inaugural cohort of Berkeley’s Combined Dietetic Internship–Master of Public Health program in 1963, after graduating from Tuskegee University. Raised in the South as one of 13 children in a sharecropping family, she became a first-generation college graduate and went on to make a difference in the lives of Bay Area residents through decades of community-based work.
Dr. Blackburn’s impact is not only historical. She has taken a lead role in UCCE Alameda’s participation in the Berkeley Environmental Scholars for Change Program. Now in its fourth year, the 2024–25 cohort provided field and lab experiences to nineteen undergraduates, including six students from HBCUs, including Tuskegee University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Their research spanned topics from wildlife science and biomechanics to environmental health, climate impacts, and sustainable agriculture systems.
Through both her distinguished career and continued mentorship, Dr. Blackburn exemplifies a powerful example: advancing science in service of community while opening pathways for the next generation. Her recognition in the Berkeley mural is well-deserved and symbolic of the enduring role of public scholarship in building a more equitable and resilient future.
Dr. Mary Blackburn with students in the HBC Emerging Scholars mentorship program
in conjunction with the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (Courtesy of Dr. Mary Blackburn)
Inclusive Excellence Summer Research Showcase, UC Berkeley Faculty Club, July 30, 2025
(Courtesy of Vernard Lewis)