Sheldon Jerome Segal ’47

Sheldon Jerome Segal ’47 died in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on October 17, 2009, of congestive heart failure. He grew up in Brooklyn, attended Erasmus High School, joined the class in the naval unit, majored in biology and played in the band. After service in the Navy he earned a doctorate in embryology and biochemistry at the University of Iowa in 1952. He joined the Population Council in New York City in 1956 and was named director in 1963. He joined the Rockefeller Foundation division of population sciences in 1978 but returned to the Population Council in 1991. He developed female contraceptives, including the intrauterine device Mirena and the surgically implanted Norplant. He retired as a distinguished scientist and in 1970 founded the International Committee for Contraception Research to develop and evaluate contraceptives for use around the world. He was the author of three books on reproductive health and contraception. He is survived by his wife and three daughters, including Amy Segal ’84.