A. Oveta Fuller

Fuller was born on August 31, 1955, to her mother, Deborah Woods Fuller, who was a teacher, and her father, Herbert R. Fuller, who ran the family farm.[3] She grew up near Yanceyville, North Carolina where she was the middle child of three.[3] In school, she was inspired by two notable biology teachers: Ms. Elam and Mr. Majette.[3] After graduating from high school, she earned an Aubrey Lee Brooks Scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, from which she received a BA in biology in 1977. Fuller continued on at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to complete her Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology in 1983.

In 1983 Fuller moved to the University of Chicago for a postdoctoral fellowship, where she was supported by numerous fellowships, including a Ford Postdoctoral Fellowship, Ann Fuller Cancer Fund Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, and a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship.[4] Fuller joined the faculty at University of Michigan Medical School in 1988 as an assistant professor in the department of Microbiology and Immunology.[4] In 1995 she was promoted to associate professor with tenure.[4] Fuller has additionally served as a faculty associate for the Center for Global Health, STEM Initiative, and African Studies Center at the University of Michigan. She is currently the associated director of the African Studies Center, International Institute, at the University of Michigan.[4]

Fuller is the pastor at Bethel African Methodist Episocopal Church in Adrian, Michigan,[5] the science advisor the global AME Church, and an adjunct faculty member at Payne Theological Seminary, where she teaches a course in the biology of HIV/AIDS.

Fuller's research focuses on uncovering the molecular mechanisms of how pathogenic viruses enter and infect cells.[6] Specifically, her lab studies the pathogenesis of the herpes and HIV/AIDS viruses. She is interested in understanding the modes of action of viral cellular entry and early infection, such as membrane fusion mechanisms.[6] Additionally, Fuller's lab is part of a collaborative effort with chemical engineering and human genetic researchers to develop microchip technologies for early, quick, and inexpensive methods of viral infection detection.[6]

Beyond the lab, Fuller has an extensive research program working with the Trusted Messenger Intervention (TMI) program to recruit the help of local religious leaders to address health inequalities with a main focus on HIV/AIDS testing, prevention, and treatment.[7] She has successfully implemented this program within communities in Zambia and the US and more recently has introduced new programs in other countries, including Liberia where the focus has been on preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Ebola virus disease.[7]

Fuller has received numerous awards throughout her career. In addition to the many fellowships she received as a postdoctoral fellow, she has been awarded with an NSF Career Advancement Award in 1992 and as the Woman of the Year in Human Relations by the University of Michigan Task Force in 1998.[4] She has been recognized for her service with the Distinguished Service Award in Microbiology and Ministry from the Missions Society, AME, the Robert Smith Community Service "Humanitarian Award," and her biography was highlighted in "Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20th Century" (Kessler, Kidd, and Morin, Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ, 1996).[4] She received a Fulbright US Scholar Program award in 2012 and began nine months of research in the Copperbelt region in Zambia in January 2013.[8] The work focused on bringing biomedical information into communities through local religious leaders.