About Us

Homer S. Black, Ph.D., is Professor of Dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. From 1968 to 2003 he was a Research Physiologist and Director of the Photobiology Laboratory at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston.

 Dr. Black earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Louisiana State University in 1964. He earned a B.Sc. in animal science from Texas A&M University in 1956 after which he served with the U.S. Air Force in Strategic Air Command. He also holds a M.Ed. from Sam Houston State University; and a M.S.Admin. (business/health science management) from the University of Houston. He was a Senior Fulbright Scholar at the Photobiology Centre, University of Dundee, Scotland. Dr. Black has been a member of a number of scientific societies including the Sigma Xi, American Association of Cancer Research, American Oil Chemists’ Society, European Society for Photobiology, Photomedicine Society, and the American Society for Photobiology. He served as Treasurer in the latter. Dr. Black is also a member of the Institute of Professional Managers and was Chairman of the Board of Regents for the Academy of Administrative Managers.

 Dr. Black has published more than 125 journal and review articles. He has co-authored a book, Laboratory Management: Principles and Practice, Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY, 1988 and a booklet, Low-Fat Dietary Guide to Aid in the Management of Skin Cancer, Houston, Texas, 1999. He is Managing Editor of Photocarcinogenesis, an encyclopedic volume in Frontiers in Bioscience. His research interests have focused upon the chemopreventive or pro-carcinogenic effects of antioxidants and dietary fat in UV-carcinogenesis. The experimental studies culminated in a dietary intervention trial in which it was shown that a low-fat dietary intervention reduced the risk for subsequent skin cancers in skin cancer patients.