Patricia Happ Buffler

1985 Inductee
Science & Technology
(1938-2013)

Dr. Patricia Happ Buffler was a professor of Epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston when she was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. She received her undergraduate degree from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and her master’s and doctorate from the University of California at Berkeley.

An internationally recognized expert in the areas of occupational and environmental health research, Dr. Buffler headed a scientific delegation to China in November 1984 at the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Chinese Cancer Institute for consultation regarding occupational lung cancer risks among Chinese tin miners. In March 1985, Dr. Buffler chaired the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Women, Work and Health in Geneva, Switzerland. As director of the Epidemiology Research Unit, Dr. Buffler developed an environmental research program devoted to the study of diseases that may be influenced by conditions in or surrounding the workplace. She served as President of the Society for Epidemiology Research in 1984 and twice won the Harriet Cunningham Award for meritorious scientific writing.