August Happenings!

 James McCune Smith (April 18, 1813 – November 17, 1865) was an American medical doctor, apothecary, abolitionist and author. He was the first African American to earn a medical degree. His M.D. was awarded by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, where a building has been dedicated to him.[3] After his return to the United States, he also became the first African American to run a pharmacy in the nation. 

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

 Rebecca Lee Crumpler (born Rebecca Davis, February 8, 1831 – March 9, 1895) was an American physician, nurse and author. She was the first African-American female doctor of medicine, qualifying at the New England Female Medical College in 1864.[a] Crumpler was also one of the first female physician authors in the nineteenth century.[4] In 1883, she published A Book of Medical Discourses. The book has two parts that cover the prevention and cure of infantile bowel complaints, and the life and growth of human beings. Dedicated to nurses and mothers, it focuses on maternal and pediatric medical care and was among the first publications written by an African American on the subject of medicine. 

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

 The Laserphaco Probe for cataract surgery was invented by Dr. Patricia E. Bath, an ophthalmologist, inventor, and public health advocate. Dr. Bath received a medical patent as the first African American woman and completed the first ophthalmology residency among Black women. Bath’s innovation improved global cataract surgery safety and effectiveness while she led community ophthalmology initiatives to eliminate vision care disparities. 

During the mid-1900s, Dr. Jane Cooke Wright transformed experimental cancer chemotherapy into standardized clinical practice through her work as a surgeon-scientist and oncology pioneer. Wright co-founded the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and introduced essential drugs, including methotrexate. Chemotherapy became an established cancer treatment through systematic tissue-culture methods and drug regimens which saved numerous lives and created new research opportunities.

 12 Black Doctors Who Made Groundbreaking Contributions To Medicine - 

In 1891, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams established Provident Hospital, the first interracial hospital in Chicago. Williams performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries in U.S. history at the same hospital in 1893. The groundbreaking work during segregated times expanded surgical care access for Black patients and transformed cardiac surgery standards.

 Medical researcher and surgeon Dr. Charles R. Drew, created blood plasma storage and transfusion methods that established modern blood-banking practices. Through his leadership of World War II blood collection operations, Dr. Drew transformed battlefield and civilian medicine by making blood transfusions a standard life-saving practice. 

 12 Black Doctors Who Made Groundbreaking Contributions To Medicine -