Sara Elizabeth Branham Matthews (1888–1962) was an American microbiologist and physician best known for her research into the isolation and treatment of Neisseria meningitidis, a causative organism of meningitis.

"[4] After finishing her degree in Colorado in 1919, she went to Chicago during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 with a desire to enter the field of medical research.

Therefore, in pursuit of her degrees at the University of Chicago, she studied filterable agents (viruses), and published over a dozen papers on the topic.

[2][6] In 1927, Branham left Chicago and began working as an associate at the University of Rochester School of Medicine under Stanhope Bayne-Jones.

Because of this, Branham's career shifted paths, and she began working for what is now the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (then, known as the Hygienic Laboratory of the United States Public Health Service) in Bethesda, Maryland as a senior bacteriologist, in order to study meningococcus.

She remained in the role for over 25 years until she was promoted to the Chief of Bacterial Toxins of the Division of Biological Standards in 1955.

[6] Branham retired from the NIH in 1958 at the age of seventy from the position of Chief of the Section on Bacterial Toxins,[8] and died November 16, 1962[3][7] after a sudden heart attack.

[6] Broadly, Sara Branham's research was based in the field of infectious diseases, including influenza, salmonella, shigella, diphtheria, dysentery, and psittacosis.

In a biographical article about Branham published in the Atlanta Constitution,[11] the huge impact of her work was summarized in the exclamation: "She killed millions of killers!

"[11] Alongside her busy professional life, Sara Branham played an active role in the community.

She was also awarded an honorary doctor of science from the University of Colorado, which would be the last of six total degrees she earned in her life.