Celebrating Black Medical Innovators During Black History Month And Every Month
February is Black History Month, a month to honor Black Americans who have made significant contributions to American society, despite facing adversity. This month, we acknowledge the dark history of medical experimentation of Black bodies and recognize Black Americans who played a vital role in paving the way for modern medicine that helped save millions of lives.
Here are 3 trailblazers in healthcare:
Daniel Hale Williams, MD (1856-1931)
Dr. Williams performed one of the first successful open heart surgeries and founded Provident Hospital, the first Black-owned Hospital in Chicago.
Dr. Crumpler became the first Black women to earn a medical degree in the United States and publish, The Medical Discourse, which is the first medical text written by an African American author.
Dr. Drew is known as the "Father of the Blood Bank". He pioneered blood preservation techniques and led the first large scale blood bank in the United States. His work created the groundwork for modern day blood donations.
Interested in learning more?
5 Books about Black History and Healthcare
Medical Apartheid By Harriet A Washington
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
Black Man in a White Coat A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine
By Damon Tweedy, MDAfrican American Doctors of World War I: The Lives of 104 Volunteers
By W Douglas Fisher & Joann H BuckleyBad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment By James H Jones
Mar 20-23
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