Winter 2025 CEMHD Newsletter

In 1837, Dr. James McCune Smith became the first African American to earn a medical degree, graduating from the University of Glasgow after being denied admission to U.S. universities due to racial discrimination. 

Upon returning to the United States, he became the nation's first African American physician, established the country’s first Black-owned pharmacy, and was the first African American to publish peer-reviewed articles in medical journals. Despite his expertise, Smith was barred from joining prominent medical associations. 

By the time of his death in 1865, Smith was a respected doctor, apothecary, medical author and statistician — whom Frederick Douglass described as the most significant influence on his life.

Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois was a sociologist, historian, author and pioneering scholar-activist whose work transformed the way that the lives of Black citizens were seen in American society. He was also a founding member of the NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the U.S. 

As the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard. Considered ahead of his time, Du Bois was an early champion of using data to solve social issues for the Black community. 

His seminal work, The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study, was the first case study of a Black community in the U.S., shedding light on the social and health consequences of slavery, racism, and discrimination against African Americans.

Adah Samuels Thoms was a pioneering advocate for equal opportunities for women, particularly in nursing in the early twentieth century. 

She believed in using organizations to drive change and served as president of the Lincoln Hospital Alumnae Association for a decade. In this role, she invited Martha Franklin, founder of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN), to hold its first meeting in New York. 

Thoms was the first recipient of the Mary Mahoney Award — now one of the highest honors given by the American Nurses Association. 

Thoms played a crucial role in advocating for the inclusion of Black nurses in the American Red Cross, a pathway to the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She encouraged Black nurses to enroll despite initial rejections due to racial discrimination. 

In 1921, Thoms was honored at the White House by President and First Lady Warren G. Harding. In recognition of her contributions, Thoms was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 1976.

Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler overcame significant racial and gender barriers to become the first African American woman in the United States to earn an MD degree in 1864. 

She worked as a nurse in Massachusetts for eight years before gaining admission to the New England Female Medical College. She remained the only Black woman to graduate from the institution before it merged with Boston University School of Medicine in 1873. 

After moving to Virginia, she worked with the Freedmen’s Bureau and community groups to provide medical care to formerly enslaved people who had little access to healthcare, despite facing racism and discrimination. She later returned to Boston, continuing her practice with a focus on women and children, often treating patients regardless of their ability to pay. 

In 1883, Crumpler published A Book of Medical Discourses, one of the first medical texts by an African American. Though little documentation remains of her life, her contributions to medicine and public health continue to be recognized today.

Dr. Ionia Rollin Whipper was a pioneering physician and public health reformer, one of the few African American obstetricians in early twentieth century Washington, D.C. 

During World War I, she traveled throughout the South to educate African American mothers and midwives on public health and hygiene after witnessing the unsanitary conditions in which many impoverished women lived. 

In 1931, Whipper opened the Ionia R. Whipper Home for Unwed Mothers, which served young women regardless of race. Dr. Whipper continued to run the home until the early 1950s when similar facilities for whites were desegregated. However, the Whipper Home remained the city's only maternity home to admit young Black women.

Dedicated to improving the lives of low-income Black women, Whipper spent much of her career teaching and establishing organizations that provided essential healthcare and support in Washington, D.C. In her later life, Dr. Whipper moved to New York, where she lived with relatives in Saratoga Springs and New York City.

Dr. Roscoe Conkling Brown Sr. was a pioneering dentist and public health advocate who played a key role in advancing African American health initiatives. 

As a member of the United States Public Health Service, he was instrumental in establishing the Office of Negro Health Work. Brown also served as a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s informal “Black Cabinet,” advocating for African American health needs during the New Deal. 

Through the Office of Negro Health Work, he helped organize Negro Health Week, develop educational resources, and publish a quarterly journal addressing health issues affecting the Black community. 

Dr. Brown played a major role in transferring the Office of Negro Health Work to the Special Programs Branch, Division of Health Education of the Public Health Service in 1950. He became the first chief of this new division and continued to give consultative services to black groups in their communities.

In 1933, Dr. Ruth E. Moore became the first Black woman to earn a PhD in the natural sciences and the first Black scientist of any gender to receive a PhD in bacteriology. Just a few years later, in 1936, she broke another barrier as the first Black member of the American Society for Microbiology. 

Moore’s PhD dissertation focused on isolating and detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis — then the second-leading cause of death in the U.S.

Her work contributed to advancements in understanding and controlling the disease. She also published some of the earliest research on the microbiome, exploring how gut microorganisms respond to antibiotics.

Dr. William (Bill) Jenkins was an epidemiologist, a public health researcher, statistician and professor who devoted his career to advancing racial equity in health care. 

He established several organizations and programs aimed at improving health outcomes and reducing disparities for people of color, including Morehouse College’s Public Health Sciences Institute, the Master of Public Health Program at Morehouse School of Medicine, and the Society for the Analysis of African American Public Health Issues. 

Jenkins is best known for his efforts to end the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and for advocating to ensure that the study’s participants and their families received lifelong medical and health care services. His social justice and civil rights approach to public health and his advocacy on the ethics and lasting impacts of the Tuskegee Study contributed to the U.S. government issuing a formal apology. 

Jenkins was committed to acting with integrity and ensuring that people who participate in research studies are treated fairly, humanely and with dignity.

Dr. May Edward Chinn, a pioneering medical researcher in cancer detection, developed a groundbreaking protocol for predicting cancer probability based on family medical history. 

She made history as the first African American woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical College, now the NYU School of Medicine. Chinn also became the first African American woman to intern at Harlem Hospital and to receive hospital privileges, breaking barriers in the medical field. In the 1930s and 1940s, like all Black physicians in New York, Chinn was denied association with the city's hospitals.

Determined to better understand cancer after witnessing advanced-stage cases among her patients, she sought research information from hospital clinics — only to be refused. Undeterred, Chinn began accompanying her patients to their clinic appointments, presenting herself as their family physician. This allowed her to observe biopsy techniques firsthand while ensuring her patients received accurate diagnoses. 

Her ingenuity and persistence exemplified the resilience she demonstrated throughout her career in overcoming systemic barriers. In 1954, Chinn became a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, and in 1957 she received a citation from the New York City Cancer Committee of the American Cancer Society. In 1980 Columbia University awarded her an honorary PhD for her contributions to medicine.

Dr. Charles Richard Drew was a groundbreaking scientist whose innovations in blood plasma preservation revolutionized medical science during World War II. His research standardized blood storage and banking procedures, shaping the practices of the American Red Cross. 

His doctoral research refined blood transfusion methods, leading to his leadership in the Blood for Britain Project, which supplied blood to wartime Britain. He later helped develop mass blood donation programs and introduced “bloodmobiles.” 

Despite his pivotal role, the Red Cross initially barred African Americans from donating blood, a policy Drew strongly opposed as both unscientific and discriminatory. His work earned him the title “father of the blood bank” and left a lasting impact on modern medicine.

After serving in the Army and training in physical therapy, Dr. Joycelyn Elders attended the University of Arkansas Medical School on the G.I. Bill, facing segregation despite the Supreme Court’s ruling against it. 

She later specialized in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology, focusing on problems of growth and juvenile diabetes. Elders became the first Black chief resident at the University of Arkansas and eventually a full professor. Her research on juvenile diabetes led her to advocate for adolescent reproductive health. 

Appointed by Governor Bill Clinton as head of the Arkansas Department of Health in 1987, Elders expanded sex education, childhood immunizations, and prenatal care, despite facing conservative backlash. In 1993, President Clinton named her U.S. Surgeon General, despite opposition from conservative critics where she continued to push for open discussions on public health issues.

Faye Wattleton, a nurse and midwife, became a leading advocate for abortion rights and reproductive health. In 1978, she made history as the first African American and youngest president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, as well as the first woman to hold the position since founder Margaret Sanger. 

Under Wattleton’s leadership, Planned Parenthood expanded its reproductive health services from 1.1 million to nearly 5 million patients by 1990. She also built a national grassroots advocacy network, transforming the organization into a powerful lobbying force to defend women’s reproductive rights. 

Her articulate and strategic leadership elevated Planned Parenthood’s visibility and strengthened its mission, making a lasting impact on women and families across the country.

Dr. Nancy Boyd-Franklin is a distinguished psychologist, author and advocate whose work focuses on ethnicity, family therapy and mental health in African American communities. 

She specializes in mental health issues affecting Black families and communities, pioneering therapeutic approaches that expand treatment options for this population. Her work emphasizes the need for socially, culturally, and economically sensitive interventions to ensure effective and accessible care for Black Americans. 

She has written several influential books, including Black Families in Therapy: A Multisystem Approach and Boys Into Men: Raising Our African American Teenage Sons. Her research addresses home-based family therapy, couples therapy and support groups for African American families affected by AIDS.

As co-director of the Rutgers/Somerset Counseling Program, Boyd-Franklin is committed to mentoring culturally competent psychologists and advancing innovative clinical interventions. 

Her contributions have earned her numerous awards, including honors from the American Psychological Association and the Association of Black Psychologists. She was also invited by President Clinton to present at the first White House Conference on AIDS. 

Boyd-Franklin’s career reflects her dedication to enhancing mental health care and advocating for underrepresented communities.

Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith is a nationally recognized public health leader with extensive experience in both applied and academic settings. 

Her career spans neighborhood clinics, inner-city hospitals, state-level public health leadership and academia, including her role as a dean and professor at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) in Boston, Massachusetts. 

A pioneer in reframing violence — particularly among youth — as a public health crisis rather than solely a law enforcement issue, she has been instrumental in defining, researching and implementing public health strategies for violence prevention.

Dr. Mae Jemison is a physician, scientist and former NASA astronaut who made history in 1992 as the first Black woman to travel to space. She earned degrees from Stanford and Cornell Universities before serving as a medical officer in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia. 

In June 1987, she achieved a lifelong dream by becoming the first Black woman admitted to NASA’s astronaut training program. On September 12, 1992, she flew aboard the Endeavour on mission STS-47, solidifying her place in history. 

Beyond her achievements in space, Jemison has made significant contributions to global health and development. She founded The Jemison Group, Inc., which developed a telecommunications system to improve healthcare delivery in developing countries. 

Recognized with numerous awards and honorary doctorates, she continues to inspire as a scientist, engineer and public speaker.

Dr. Sherman A. James is the Susan B. King Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and a distinguished epidemiologist. His research focuses on the social determinants of health, particularly the impact of racism and discrimination on health disparities in the United States. 

He is best known for developing the John Henryism Hypothesis, which links the premature onset of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in African Americans to chronic stress caused by structural racism and socioeconomic adversity. 

His work has been instrumental in highlighting how prolonged high-effort coping with these stressors contributes to health disparities among marginalized communities. 

Sir George Alleyne is the director emeritus of the Pan American Health Organization, which he led from 1995 to 2003, marking a distinguished career dedicated to international health and health equity. 

A native of Barbados, he also served as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean from 2003 to 2010, collaborating with policymakers, politicians, and communities to reduce HIV transmission and expand access to prevention and treatment. 

Beyond his leadership roles, he has made significant contributions as a visiting faculty member in the Department of International Health at the Bloomberg School. His dedication continues to inspire and educate the next generation of global health researchers and practitioners.

Dr. F. DuBois Bowman is the dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a leading researcher in high-dimensional and complex data analysis. Originally a mathematics major, Bowman discovered his passion for biostatistics after a pivotal conversation with Bill Jenkins. 

Specializing in functional brain imaging, Bowman investigates mental health and neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and depression, as well as the impact of environmental exposures on brain health and overall well-being. 

In 2005, he joined the Bloomberg School of Public Health as a visiting professor of Biostatistics. 

Dr. Robert D. Bullard is the founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice and a distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University. 

Known as the “father of environmental justice,” Dr. Robert D. Bullard has dedicated his research and advocacy to reducing environmental burdens in under-resourced communities. His work aims to address environmental disparities and minimize health risks in historically marginalized populations, advancing equity and justice in environmental policy. 

He was the first scientist to publish research demonstrating how pollution disproportionately affects Black communities — work that emerged from his support of the Bean v. Southwestern Waste Management Corporation case in Houston. 

This groundbreaking study set Bullard on a path to uncover widespread environmental oppression across the southern United States, exposing the deep ties between systemic racism and environmental hazards. He received the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the UN Environment Programme. 

Dr. Goldie S. Byrd is a professor of social sciences and health policy and the director of the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest University. 

A leading researcher in genetic risk factors for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease among people of color, she has dedicated her career to addressing health disparities in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. 

In 2014, Byrd founded the Center for Outreach in Alzheimer’s, Aging, and Community Health at North Carolina A&T State University. The center focuses on the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on African Americans and provides education and support for family caregivers. 

Dr. Byrd’s forward-thinking approaches in community health have inspired and enhanced strategies for engaging Black and Latino caregivers of people living with dementia in research.

Dr. Virginia Caine is the director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department and an associate professor of medicine in the Infectious Diseases Division at Indiana University School of Medicine. 

A respected leader in public health, she previously served as president of the American Public Health Association and was named president-elect of the National Medical Association in 2023. 

Throughout her career, Caine has been at the forefront of efforts to educate healthcare providers about HIV/AIDS, expand community prevention initiatives, and improve access to care at both local and national levels. Her work has been instrumental in advancing public health equity and infectious disease prevention.

Dr. Felicity Enders is a professor of biostatistics at Mayo Clinic and the director of the Mayo Clinic Office for Research Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity. 

In addition to her work in biostatistics education, she has been a pioneer in addressing the hidden curriculum in healthcare academia — the unspoken values and behaviors, such as empathy, assertiveness, and professionalism, that students need to succeed but are rarely explicitly taught. Enders and her team were the first to apply this concept to academic health research, highlighting its unique challenges for students from diverse backgrounds. 

Enders has made groundbreaking contributions at Mayo Clinic, including advancing biostatistics education, uncovering the impact of the hidden curriculum in research, and leading significant collaborations in psychology and women’s health. 

Her work has pushed the field of biostatistics to engage more deeply with diversity and inclusion, both within institutions and in the realms of data analysis and study design.

Dr. Donald Hopkins is the Special Advisor for Guinea Worm Eradication at the Carter Center, where he previously served as director of all health programs. 

When he joined the Carter Center in 1986 to lead global efforts to eradicate Guinea worm disease and river blindness, there were approximately 3.5 million human cases of Guinea worm disease annually. By 2023, that number had dropped to just 13 human cases, largely due to the campaign he helped design.

A public health pioneer, Hopkins also led the CDC’s smallpox eradication efforts in Sierra Leone and India, later serving as the CDC’s acting director in 1985. When he arrived in Sierra Leone in 1966, the country had the highest rate of smallpox in the world. Through the CDC’s new surveillance and containment strategy, the last case was recorded just three years later. 

Hopkins then led successful smallpox eradication efforts in India before chronicling the disease’s history in his Pulitzer-nominated book, The Greatest Killer: Smallpox in History.

Dr. Sherman James is the Susan B. King Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and a pioneering figure in social epidemiology. 

His research has explored how socioeconomic conditions, culture, and racism shape health disparities, particularly among Black communities in the rural South and those who migrated North. 

Trained as a social psychologist, James introduced the concept of John Henryism, which describes the physical health consequences of prolonged stress from striving to overcome adversity. 

His hypothesis — rooted in the story of John Henry, the Black American folk hero who won a battle of strength against a machine but died from exhaustion — has become a critical framework for understanding the health impacts of chronic stress and systemic inequality.

Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott is the vice president of Health and Health Equity at Drexel University and a professor in the College of Nursing and Health Professions. She is one of the nation’s leading researchers in HIV/AIDS prevention, with a particular focus on African American adolescents and adults. 

By deeply engaging with communities and understanding their culture, values, and needs, Jemmott has developed highly effective community-based strategies to reduce STI risk and incidence. Alongside her husband, John B. Jemmott, she co-developed several evidence-based interventions adopted by the CDC to prevent unwanted pregnancy, STIs, and HIV. 

Among her 100-plus published works is the widely implemented curriculum, Making Proud Choices! An Evidence-Based, Safer-Sex Approach to Teen Pregnancy and HIV/STI Prevention, used in Baltimore City Public Schools and the Baltimore City Health Department.

Dr. Lisa Newman is the Chief of Breast Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, as well as an internationally renowned expert in breast cancer management and health disparities. A leader in both clinical and public health research, she has dedicated her career to advancing breast cancer treatment and equity. 

Newman also directs an international breast cancer research and training program, collaborating with physicians and researchers in Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, Haiti, Barbados and Canada. Through this initiative, she has provided surgical and cancer care at no cost to patients in these countries. 

A true public health trailblazer, Dr. Newman continues to drive groundbreaking research in genetics, cancer risk, and prevention, deepening our understanding of breast cancer disparities in the U.S. and around the world.