Dr. Roberta Anderson Ballard served in many leadership positions while at Uni, becoming a member of the Girls’ Athletic Association council, the Girls’ Representative of her freshman class, and a member of the student council for two years. In her senior year, she earned the D.A.R. Citizenship Award and the Elks Youth Leadership Award.

After graduating from the University of Chicago medical school in 1965, Dr. Ballard worked primarily in prenatal and neonatal medicine, helping women with high-risk pregnancies and caring for infants after birth as well. She researched newborn diseases, specifically studying treatments and prevention methods for chronic lung disease in premature infants. Dr. Ballard co-wrote the eighth edition of Avery’s Diseases of the Newborn, a comprehensive book detailing the most effective diagnosis and treatment techniques for neonates. She also worked in pediatrics, and was a professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr Ballard served on several scientific and medical boards and wrote articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Perinatology, and many other publications.