Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Biography
Marilyn Brachman Hoffman (1930-2013) was dedicated to raising awareness of the danger caused by exposure to environmental toxicants. Throughout her lifetime, she served as an independent organizer of scientific research on environmental illnesses. She brought together scientists, physicians, and others to work together to create greater public awareness of health risks associated with multiple chemical exposures and to provide and promote strategies for prevention.
Born on August 22, 1930 in Fort Worth, Texas, Marilyn was the daughter of Solomon (d. 1974) and Etta (d. 1998) Brachman, who were deeply engaged in community and philanthropic activities. Marilyn earned her B.A. in art history from Wellesley College (1952) and her M.A. in early childhood education at Columbia’s Teachers College (1954). From 1955 to 1958, Marilyn was a doctoral student in experimental psychology at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
During this time, she lived in a below-grade apartment, where she was exposed to an unreasonably high level of carbon monoxide and other environmental toxicants. This triggered her lifelong sensitivity to chemicals.
This increased susceptibility to chemical exposures had a profound impact on how Marilyn chose to dedicate her life and her financial resources. She immersed herself in research in a quest to verify the cause for her illness and to enhance public and professional awareness of this affliction. She became an independent organizer of research on health effects of environmental toxicants and an information resource on such health effects to patients, physicians, scientists, and institutions.
Marilyn Brachman Hoffman studied scientific literature, attended scientific and professional meetings, and actively exchanged information with professional networks, scientific organizations, and universities.
Marilyn passed away unexpectedly on her birthday in 2013; she was 83. Following her death, Marilyn dedicated a very significant portion of her remaining assets to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation, which continues her legacy of supporting research on environmental toxicants.
Marilyn had closely followed the work of Harvard professors John Spengler, an expert in indoor air pollution, and Joseph Brain, who studies the health effects of inhaled gases, particulates, and microbes.
One of her testamentary bequests was a significant grant to the Harvard School of Public Health to continue her own research in this area. This bequest was made to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which laid the foundation for a new program entitled “The Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Program for Chemicals and Health,” which is co-led by Dr. Spengler and Dr. Brain. It seeks to promote new research and education on how exposures to chemicals alter physiological responses.
She enmeshed herself in research in her quest to verify the cause for her illness and to enhance public and professional awareness of this affliction.
Marilyn was a member of organizations such as the International Brain Research Organization, Society for Neuroscience, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. From 1993 to 2003, Marilyn served as a trustee of Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. She also served as a member of the Environmental Health Council and Leadership Council at Harvard University’s School of Public Health and the Science Advisory Committee and the Committee for the Advancement of Sciences at Wellesley College.