Dr. Deborah Birx Bobblehead

Dr. Deborah Leah Birx was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the youngest of three children, Donald, a mathematician and electrical engineer, and Adele Sparks Birx, a nursing educator. Birx’s early life was fueled by curiosity, making up science-related explorations with her older brothers in their makeshift laboratory (also known as the shed in their backyard). She quickly took to competing and winning at science fairs, further magnifying her passion for the sciences. She excelled in higher learning, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Houghton College in two years, followed by her doctorate in medicine from the Hershey Medical Center at Penn State. Birx also served her country in the United States Army, achieving the rare high rank of Colonel before retiring in 2008. It was during this tenure, Birx worked alongside Dr. Anthony Fauci at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. With her thirst for knowledge, Birx changed course, heading into medical research, attaining Director of the Un