Black History Month | Inspiring health pioneers
In honor of Black History Month in February, we are shining a light on five African American individuals who transformed healthcare with their expertise, creativity, and courage. We hope you will use the online bios, videos, and children’s books to share these inspiring stories!
Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831- 1895)
Dr. Crumpler was the first African American woman in the United States to earn an M.D. degree.
She worked as a nurse for eight years and later graduated with a doctorate in medicine, the first African American woman to do so.
After the Civil War ended, she cared for freed slaves who had no other access to medical care.
She published one of the very first medical books by an African American titled Book of Medical Discourses.
Learn more about Dr. Crumpler: Bio | Children’s Book | YouTube Video
Daniel Hale Williams (1856-1931)
Dr. Williams was the first doctor in the U.S. to perform successful open-heart surgery. He also founded the nation’s first black-owned and operated hospital, treating both Black and white patients.
He founded Provident Hospital at a time when Black patients could not get quality care at white hospitals.
When he performed the first open-heart surgery, most doctors believed it was too dangerous. The patient lived twenty years after his life-saving surgery.
Dr. Williams mentored young physicians to improve the quality of care for Black patients.
Learn more about Dr. Williams: Bio | Children’s Book | YouTube video
Vivien Thomas (1910-1985)
Vivien Thomas is known for inventing the open-heart surgical procedure to treat children with a particular heart defect.
The grandson of a slave, Thomas lost his chance to go to college because of the stock market crash.
He got a job as a lab assistant for Dr. Alfred Blalock. Because he was Black, he was classified and paid as a janitor.
Thomas created the procedure for treating “blue baby syndrome,” a serious heart issue in children. He taught Dr. Blalock how to do the procedure but was never credited for his role in developing the Blalock-Taussig shunt.
Learn more about Vivien Thomas: Bio | Children’s Book | YouTube Video
Charles R. Drew (1904-1950)
Dr. Drew is known as the “father of the blood bank.” He discovered ways to safely store blood and plasma for a longer time and organized the nation’s first large-scale blood bank.
Dr. Drew was the first African American to earn a medical doctorate from Columbia University. His thesis focused on the storage and preservation of blood.
He created procedures for sending blood to Great Britian during World War II. The program became the model for the Red Cross.
The Red Cross did not accept blood from African Americans at the time, so Dr. Drew could not participate in his own program.
Learn more about Charles R. Drew: Bio | Children’s Book | YouTube Video
Patricia Era Bath (1942-2019)
Dr. Bath is known for inventing a new device and technique for cataract surgery, creating a new discipline called “community ophthalmology,” and serving as the first woman chair of the ophthalmology in the U.S.
Dr. Bath was the first African American resident in ophthalmology at New York University.
As an intern, she discovered that blindness among Blacks was double that among whites.
She created the concept of “community ophthalmology,” bringing primary care and vision screenings to places like senior centers, daycare programs, and schools.
She invented the laserphaco probe, a technology used worldwide to treat cataracts.
Learn more about Dr. Bath: Bio | Children’s Book | YouTube Video