Remembering Godfrey Oakley's Impact

Earlier this week, the world lost a leader in birth defects research with the passing of Godfrey Oakley, MD. Oakley was globally recognized for his work advocating for spina bifida prevention research and folic acid fortification. His tireless efforts prevented debilitating illness for thousands of children around the globe. He made the world better, including for many  at the Rollins School of Public Health where he was a beloved colleague, mentor, and friend. He will be dearly missed.

Oakley started his career as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immediately after finishing medical school, which is where he discovered his spark for birth defect research. He went on to serve as an epidemiologist at the CDC before taking the role as professor of epidemiology at Rollins and founding the Center for Spina Bifida Prevention at the Rollins School of Public Health.

The center serves as a training hub for students at Emory and holds many partnerships with other organizations, such as Food Fortification Initiative, March of Dimes, and the Task Force for Global Health. Oakley’s mentee, Vijaya Kancherla, PhD, has served as the center's director since his retirement in December of last year.

“His optimism and energy were infectious,” she says. “He was always surrounded by students whenever he finished his talks. He was a phenomenal public health storyteller. He brought people together so effortlessly. He was humble, down to earth, and had so many great ideas. I enjoyed working with him and looked forward to the work day every morning. He was a mentor's mentor. His legacy will continue through people he has trained and programs he helped establish during his tenure at the CDC. I am a direct product of the birth defects programs he helped set up in the U.S.”

Among Oakley’s glowing career achievements was convincing the Food and Drug Administration to issue new regulations in 1998 requiring folic acid to be added to enriched grains in the United States. Since then, rates in spina bifida and anencephaly have been cut in half in the United States. He was board certified in genetics, pediatrics, and preventive medicine and was an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Outside of his career achievements, he took joy in being a husband and father; playing tennis, bridge, and golf; and being around people. He was married to his wife for over 70 years, and will be remembered by his children as “the world’s best dad.”

A Celebration of Life service will take place on Saturday, December 13 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, 2650 N. Druid Hills Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329. The service will be livestreamed for those who live far away and will also be available on YouTube.

His obituary is available here and his memoriam can also be found on the Food Fortification Initiative website.