John R. Heller Jr.

John Roderick 'Rod' Heller (February 27, 1905 – May 4, 1989), was the head in 1943–1948 of what was then called the "Venereal Disease" section of the United States Public Health Service (PHS).

[1] As part of his specialist research, Heller assisted Raymond A. Vonderlehr, a clinician and epidemiologist who was one of the chief originators of what became the Tuskegee syphilis study.

[2] Sexually transmitted diseases were seen as a major scourge of the time, and published data (including at least one study co-authored by Heller)[2] of the neurological and other complications that were beginning to be experienced by some Tuskegee patients only increased the level of salience given to public-health work in this specialty.

[2] At this time, the fight against sexually transmitted disease was seen as more urgent than ever; the United States was carrying out the widespread mobilization of young men for service in World War II.

Although Heller continued to serve as head of the venereal disease section of PHS, the drug was not provided to patients in the Tuskegee study.

The Institute and Public Health Association also gathered statistically valid data on the prevalence of cancers within different populations and in different organs of the human body.

During this period, the Surgeon General of the United States issued a major public health recommendation against the smoking of cigarettes, backed by research performed with the help of Heller's guidance.

When Heller died in May 1989, an obituary published in the New York Times concentrated on his work at NCI and did not mention his role in the Tuskegee Study.

[3] In August 1959, in his capacity as director of the National Cancer Institute, Heller was featured on the front cover of Time magazine.

[2] When interviewers suggested that there had been parallels between the Tuskegee syphilis study and Nazi medical experiments, Heller responded that he saw no such connection.