In the spirit of honoring African-American culture and achievement, we look back into medicine to highlight the myriad achievements and barriers broken by Black doctors in America.
These are 7 of the countless African-American medical pioneers and how they made history.
Dr. James Durham
First African-American doctor
Born in 1762 and living and working most of his life in slavery, James Durham is considered the first African-American to work as a doctor in the United States. Although he never obtained a formal medical degree, some of the Durham owners were doctors who taught him what they knew. Durham would go on to have a successful practice in New Orleans, where he helped yellow fever victims.
Dra. Rebecca Crumpler
First black woman to earn a medical degree in the US
Rebecca Lee Crumpler, born in 1831, began her career as a nurse but would go on to become the first African-American woman to earn a medical degree. When the Civil War ended, Crumpler moved the practice of it to Richmond, Virginia. There, she worked for the Freedmen’s Bureau, taking care of the health of newly freed slaves.
Dr.Daniel Williams
He performed the first open-heart surgery and owned the first black-owned, interracial hospital.
Williams’ Provident Hospital it would become the first of its kind in 1893: a medical center with interracial staff and interracial patients. In addition to being a pioneer in the healthcare business, Williams is considered one of the first surgeons to have a successful open heart outcome. Later in his life, Williams would become the chief surgeon at Freedmen’s Hospital.
Dra. Alexa Irene Canadi
First African-American female neurosurgeon
Canady hardly ever practices medicine, due to what she called a “crisis of confidence” as a math undergraduate. She recovered, earned a fellowship to the University of Michigan Medical School in 1975, graduated, and became the first African-American neurosurgeon in the US Along the way, she faced a great deal of prejudice. During her surgical clerkship at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1975, a hospital administrator called her an “equal opportunity package.” Her colleagues at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia nominated her as one of the best residents of 1981-1982.
Dr. Patricia Bath
First black female doctor to obtain a patent for a medical invention
A pioneer in the specialty of ophthalmology, Bath is the inventor and patent holder of the laserfaco, device and technique used in cataract surgery. Before her invention of 1986, Bath established another first. In 1974, she became the first female ophthalmologist to serve on the faculty of the University of California at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the Los Angeles School of Medicine. Later, in 1983, Ella Bath would make history again by becoming the first woman to chair an ophthalmology residency program in the US.
Wear. Myra Adele Logan
First open heart surgery performed by a woman
Logan became the first woman to perform open heart surgery in 1943. In another first, she was the first African American woman to become a member of the American College of Surgeons. Logan’s achievements are not limited to surgery. She developed new antibiotics, worked on the detection and treatment of breast cancer, and was part of efforts to refine the X-ray process to see differences in tissue density. Somehow, she also found time to become a classically trained pianist.
Dr. Robert Boys
Co-founder and president of the first professional organization for black doctors
In 1895, Boyd co-founded the National Medical Association (NMA), which represents African-American physicians and medical professionals in the US Jim Crow laws were a major obstacle for black physicians at the time. Even the American Medical Association banned black doctors from becoming members. Boyd, who served as the NMA’s first president, co-founded the NMA to ensure that black physicians had a voice in shaping medical policy and developing clinical expertise.
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