Black History Month: Celebrating the pioneers who trailblaze medicine

This Black History Month, Montage Health is honored to celebrate some of the African American pioneers who trailblazed medicine. These brave men and women found ways to circumvent cultural and socioeconomic oppression to bring the world lifesaving healthcare contributions.

Patricia Bath (1942–2019)

Patricia Bath was the first African American to complete an ophthalmology residency in 1973 and was also the first African American female doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose. Her invention, the laserphaco probe, created a less painful and more precise treatment for cataracts and helped restore vision to people who were blind for more than 30 years.

Otis Boykin (1920–1982)

Otis Boykin’s life-saving impact is still felt by millions of Americans to this day through his invention of a control unit that improved the pacemaker, a small, battery-powered device that detects when a heartbeat is irregular or too slow. Boykin was an avid inventor, having patented nearly 30 electronic devices throughout his career.

Charles Richard Drew (1904–1950)

Charles Richard Drew was a well-known surgeon and pioneer in the preservation of life-saving blood plasma. He broke barriers in a racially divided America to become one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. His research and systematic developments in the use and preservation of blood plasma during World War II saved thousands of lives and revolutionized the nation’s blood banking process and standardized procedures for long-term blood preservation and storage techniques adapted by the American Red Cross.

Miles Vandarhurst Lynk, MD (1871–1956) 

In 1895, Miles Vandarhurst Lynk, whose parents were enslaved, co-founded the National Medical Association, the oldest and largest organization in the United States representing Black healthcare professionals. He became the first Black doctor in Jackson, Tennessee in 1891, and soon after he founded The Medical and Surgical Observer, the first medical journal published by a Black doctor. 

Mary Mahoney (1845–1926)

In 1879, Mary Mahoney became the first African American woman in the United States to receive a nursing degree. After graduating she worked as a private care nurse for more than 30 years. Today, the American Nursing Association honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to creating opportunities for nurses of color with the Mary Mahoney Award.

James McCune Smith (1813–1865)

James McCune Smith was the first African American to receive a medical degree. Unable to attend college in the United States because of the color of his skin, Smith attended Glasgow University in Scotland. While there, Smith earned three degrees including a doctorate in medicine. After receiving his degree, Smith returned to New York where he practiced as a doctor for almost 20 years. Among other firsts, Smith was also the first African American to run a pharmacy in the United States and the first African American doctor to be published in U.S. medical journals.

Jane Cooke Wright (1919–2013)

Dr. Jane Cooke Wright was a revolutionary in chemotherapy and cancer treatment. When she joined the Cancer Research Foundation at Harlem Hospital in 1949, chemotherapy was still a new and experimental approach to cancer. In 1964, she was appointed to President Johnson’s President’s Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke, and in 1971 became the first woman president of the New York Cancer Society.