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14
Jun

1952 - Dr. Harold D. West named President of Meharry Medical College

On this day in 1952, Dr. Harold D. West is named President of Meharry Medical College

2
Jul

2001 - Robert Tools receives artificial heart

On this date in 2001, Robert Tools became the first person to receive the AbioCor, a self-contained artificial heart, at Jewish Hospital in... Continue →

3
Jul

1904 - Charles Drew was born

On this date in 1904, Dr. Charles Drew, born in Washington, D.C., made groundbreaking contributions to the field of medicine. He attended McGill... Continue →

8
Jul

1943 - Activist Faye Wattleton

On this date in 1943, Faye Wattleton was born. She is a notable activist, nurse, and the first African American president of Planned Parenthood.... Continue →

10
Jul

1893 - Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performs the world's first open-heart surgery

On this date in 1893, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a pioneering African American surgeon, performed the first successful open-heart surgeries. James... Continue →

19
Jul

1913 - Tri-Sate Dental Association is formed

On July 19, 1913, the Tri-State Dental Association was formed as a professional organization for African American dentists in the U.S. It served as... Continue →

23
Jul

1924 - Physician, Louis Tompkins Wright was born

Louis Tompkins Wright, born on July 23, 1924, was a prominent physician and one of the first African American physicians to make significant... Continue →

24
Jul

1914 - Kenneth Bancroft Clark was born.

Kenneth Bancroft Clark was born on July 24, 1914, and he went on to become a pioneering African American psychologist. Clark is best known for his... Continue →

25
Jul

1972 - The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment admitted to by US government officials.

On July 25, 1972, the U.S. government admitted to the existence of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, a medical study that began in 1932. In this... Continue →

1
Aug

1993 - First Black Woman to Head a Medical School

On August 1, 1993, Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee made history by becoming the first Black woman to serve as the dean of a U.S. medical school when she assumed... Continue →

1
Aug

1879 - Mary Eliza Mahoney Graduates Nursing Program

On August 1, 1879, Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first African American woman to graduate from a nursing program in the United States. She completed... Continue →

1
Aug

1869 - Augustus Nathaniel Lushington 1st Black D.V.M.

On August 1, 1869, Augustus Nathaniel Lushington made history as the first African American to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree.... Continue →

1
Aug

1966 - The Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical

On August 2, 1966, the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School was chartered in Los Angeles. It was later renamed Charles R. Drew University of... Continue →

4
Aug

1931 - Pioneer in surgery, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams dies

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a pioneering African American surgeon, passed away on August 4, 1931. He is best known for performing one of the first... Continue →

11
Aug

1949 - Peter Marray Marshall appointed to the American Medical Association's (AMA) House of Delegates.

On August 11, 1949, Peter Marray Marshall of New York was appointed to the American Medical Association's (AMA) House of Delegates. The AMA's House... Continue →

13
Aug

1881 - The first African American nursing school

On August 13, 1881, Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, established the first African American nursing school. This was a significant moment in... Continue →

14
Aug

1922 - Rebecca J. Cole--2nd Black Female Physician

Rebecca J. Cole was an important figure in American history, making significant strides as one of the first African American women to become a... Continue →

14
Aug

1914 - Dr. Herman Branson -- Physicist and Chemist-born

Dr. Herman Branson was an American physicist and chemist, born on August 14, 1914. He made significant contributions to the fields of molecular... Continue →

14
Aug

1883 - Biologist and pioneer of cell division, Ernest E. Just was born

Yes, August 14, 1883, marks the birth of Ernest E. Just, an influential biologist known for his groundbreaking work in cell biology, particularly in... Continue →

21
Aug

2001 - The first man to have a self-contained artificial heart implanted speaks

Robert Tools made a groundbreaking contribution by being the first person to have a self-contained artificial heart implanted. His surgery, which... Continue →

23
Aug

1908 - 52 nurses lead by Martha M. Franklin

On August 23, 1908, Martha Minerva Franklin led 52 African American nurses in founding the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in... Continue →

29
Aug

1894 - Sociologist E. Franklin Fraiser was born

E. Franklin Frazier, born on August 29, 1894, was a renowned African American sociologist. He is best known for his work on the sociology of race,... Continue →

1
Sep

1867 - The first Black person to graduate from Harvard Dental School

On September 1, 1867, Robert Tanner Freeman became the first Black person to graduate from Harvard Dental School. He was a trailblazer in dental... Continue →

16
Oct

1895 - National Medical Association founded in Atlanta

On this date in 1895, National Medical Association founded in Atlanta.

22
Oct

1953 - Clarence S. Green becomes the first African-American certified in neurological surgery

ON this date in 1953, Clarence S. Green becomes the first African-American certified in neurological surgery.

13
Nov

1913 – Dr. Daniel Hale Williams Becomes the First Black Member of the American College of Surgeons

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a pioneering African American surgeon, became the first Black physician elected as a charter member of the American College... Continue →

30
Nov

2001 – Robert Tools, First Recipient of AbioCor Artificial Heart, Passes Away

Robert Tools, the first human to receive the AbioCor fully self-contained artificial heart, died at age 59 due to multiple organ failure after... Continue →

3
Dec

1866 – Death of John S. Rock, Pioneering Lawyer and Activist

On this day, John S. Rock—a lawyer, physician, and abolitionist—passed away. In 1865, he made history as the first African American admitted to... Continue →

6
Dec

1892 – Birth of Dr. Theodore K. Lawless, Medical Pioneer

Dr. Theodore K. Lawless was born on December 6, 1892, in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He became a renowned dermatologist, medical researcher, and... Continue →

15
Dec

1883 – William A. Hinton, Renowned Bacteriologist, Is Born

William Augustus Hinton, a pioneering African American bacteriologist and pathologist, was born on this day. He is best known for developing the... Continue →

25
Dec

1951 - Spingarn Medal to Mabel K. Staupers

Mabel Keaton Staupers received the NAACP's prestigious Spingarn Medal for her pioneering leadership in nursing and her tireless advocacy for racial... Continue →

25
Dec

1870 - Henry McKee Minton, born

Henry McKee Minton was born on this day in Columbia, South Carolina. A pioneering African American physician and pharmacist, Minton co-founded Sigma... Continue →

27
Dec

1941 - Pioneer of blood plasma research, Dr Charles Richard Drew, establishes blood bank

On this day in 1941, Dr. Charles Richard Drew, a trailblazing African American physician and researcher, established a pioneering blood bank in New... Continue →

30
Dec

1892 - First Black Medical Journal Published

Dr. Miles V. Lynk, a pioneering African American physician, published The Medical and Surgical Observer, the first Black medical journal in the... Continue →