Black History Month: Celebrating the pioneers who trailblazed 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, MD (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. He was an avid inventor, having patented nearly 30 electronic devices throughout his career.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD (1831–1895)
Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African American female doctor of medicine after graduating from New England Female Medical College in 1864. She dedicated her career to caring for underserved communities, particularly newly freed African Americans in the post-Civil-War South. She later published A Book of Medical Discourses in 1883, one of the first medical texts written by a Black author, sharing her experience and providing practical guidance on women’s and children’s health.
Charles Richard Drew, MD (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 (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 degrees, 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.
Vivien Thomas (1910–1985)
Vivien Thomas was a groundbreaking surgical innovator whose work helped lay the foundation for modern cardiac surgery, despite never earning a formal medical degree. As a laboratory supervisor at Johns Hopkins, he played a critical role in developing the “blue baby” procedure, a life-saving surgery for infants with congenital heart defects. His brilliance and contributions were long overlooked due to racial barriers, but he was eventually honored with an honorary doctorate and is now recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th-century medicine.
Daniel Hale Williams (1856–1931)
Daniel Hale Williams was a pioneering surgeon and hospital founder who performed one of the world’s first successful open-heart surgeries in 1893. At a time when segregation barred Black patients and doctors from most hospitals, he founded Provident Hospital in Chicago, the first interracial hospital in the United States with an integrated medical staff. His work advanced surgical techniques and expanded access to quality healthcare and professional training for Black doctors and nurses.
Jane Cooke Wright, MD (1919–2013)
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 New York Cancer Society.
