After receiving his undergraduate degree from Brown in 1876 and a medical degree from New York University, Charles Chapin returned to his hometown of Providence where he taught physiology at Brown and served as Superintendant of Health in Providence, a position he held for 48 years. During his administration, the death rate in Providence dropped 30 percent and infant mortality was reduced by 50 percent. He made important contributions in the areas of child health, immunization, water purification, prevention of contagious diseases, and treatment of tuberculosis, earning his nickname, “The Great Sanitarian.”