Ben Vaughan Branscomb

Ben Vaughan Branscomb (February 1, 1924 – July 4, 2016) was the first pulmonary physician at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and influential in establishing the field of pulmonary medicine.

Branscomb was an early critic of smoking as a cause of lung disease before that fact was publicly acknowledged. Over his career he worked to educate the U.S. Congress, the medical profession, and the public about the health dangers of cigarettes and environmental pollution and the need to protect clean air. His research and advocacy were influential in the enforcement of the Clean Air Act of 1970 in Alabama.