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Did you know the first Black Doctor
got a medical degree in 1837?
Original Black Doctors
- inspirational
- educational
- important information that everyone needs
to know about
ABOUT US
The Original Black Doctors (OBD) helps to share with the world and especially our youth the great history and achievements of some of the earliest African American Doctors.
Their rich history is largely unknown to the world. Their service as physicians, intellectuals and leaders laid the foundation for today’s healthcare system.
It is important for our society especially the youth to recognize what they were able to do under such adversity. We are proud to offer their story to you and encourage you to obtain merchandise that reflects their history.
This includes pictures and clothing. Our goal is to share this with youth around the country and world and we look forward to your help doing this.
Check out the book and schedule a time for your book signing and discussion. Join our team, spead the word and grab a shirt and framed printing.
OUR OBJECTIVE
One of the goals of this site is to help prepare our youth for their sucees of tomorrow in what ever career field they choose. Especially for those with plans to choose a field as a doctor. The current numbers of physicians whom are African American, especially males continues to be alarming. We hope that this information and program help to change this.
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The Original Black Doctors
James Durham
James Durham has been widely acknowledged as the first recognized African American to be a physician in the United States. This is despite never earning a medical degree. He was born in 1762 in Philadelphia where he lived and worked most of his early life as a slave. He was owned by slave owners that were physicians. He was taught to read and write fluently in Spanish and French. He was one of he first blacks to practice medicine.
James McCune Smith M.D.
James McCune Smith was an American physician, abolitionist, and author. He is the first African American to hold a medical degree and graduated at the top of his class at the University Of Glasgow, Scotland. He attained his medical degree in 1837. He was the first African American to run a pharmacy in the United States. Dr. Smith worked as a practicing physician. He was also considered an intellectual, scholar, and abolitionist who worked closely with Frederick Douglass.
Dorothy Lavinia Brown M.D.
Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1919. She was a medical pioneer, educator and community leader.
Robert Fulton Boyd M.D.
Robert Fulton Boyd was a black educator and doctor who was born a slave on July 8, 1855. As a youth, he always wanted to be a doctor. He lived on the plantation of a prominent surgeon. Boyd entered the medical department of Central Tennessee College in 1880 and graduated with honors in 1882. Dr. Boyd was a gynecologist and also served as the president of a bank.
Solomon Carter Fuller M.D.
Solomon Carter Fuller was the first black psychiatrist in the United States. He researched degenerative brain disorders with Dr. Alois Alzheimer while in medical school and became an authority on Alzheimer’s disease research. He published the first compressive review of Alzheimer’s cases in 1912.
Jane Cooke Wright M.D.
Jane Cooke Wright, M.D. graduated from New York Medical College in 1945 from a three-year accelerated program. In 1967 she was the first African American woman to be named associate dean of a nationally recognized medical institution. She completed her residency at Harlem Hospital, she became the head of the Cancer Research Foundation, at the age of 33.
Charles Drew M.D.
Charles Richard Drew was an African American physician who developed ways to process and store blood. He directed the blood plasma programs of the United States and Great Britain in World War ll. He created two of the first blood banks.
Daniel Hale Williams M.D.
Daniel Hale Williams III was born on January 18, 1856, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. He briefly worked as a barber but decided to pursue his education. He worked with a surgeon named Dr. Henry Palmer and completed medical school at Chicago Medical College. In 1893 he became one of the first physicians to perform open heart surgery.
Julian H. Lewis M.D.
Julian H. Lewis was one of the first African Americans to earn an M.D.Ph.D. He was the first African American to join the honor societies Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa, and Alpha Omega Alpha. He received his Ph.D. in physiology and pathology from the University of Chicago and then his medical degree from Rush Medical College in 1917.
Susan Smith McKinney Steward M.D.
She was the third black woman to earn a medical degree. She earned her medical degree in 1869 after graduating from the New York Medical College. She practiced in New York where she specialized in prenatal care and childhood diseases.
William Hinton M.D
William Hinton was born in Chicago in 1883 to parents who had grown up enslaved in North Carolina. His father worked as a railroad brakeman in Kansas, making it possible for him to attend the University of Kansas and then Harvard, graduating at the age of 22 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1912. However, as an African American, he was barred from practicing surgery in Boston.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler M.D.
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first African American woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. She was born Rebecca Davis in 1831 in Christiana, Delaware. Her childhood was spent with an aunt in Pennsylvania. Her aunt provided medical care for others and she accompanied her aunt on these trips. It was these experiences that inspired her to go into medicine. She earned her medical degree in 1864.
Ella Mae Simmons M.D.
Ella Mae Simmons spent her life breaking down the barriers of segregation. She wanted to attend Ohio State University in 1936 but was told that the school’s housing would not accommodate a black woman. She went to Hampton nursing school instead and became the first African American to integrate into the US Army Nurse Corps following her graduation. She would eventually graduate Howard University Medical School.
Onesimus
Onesimus was a slave in the early 18th century who introduced his owner to the principles and procedures of inoculation to help prevent disease. This technique was a common practice in Africa that helped to prevent smallpox. This procedure helped to lay the foundation for the development of vaccines. Onesimus helped to save many lives by teaching doctors how to prevent smallpox.
Louis Tompkins Wright M.D.
Louis Tompkins Wright was born in LaGrange Georgia. He graduated from Harvard Medical School with honors at the top of his class in 1915. During his career, he was recognized for his leadership, civil rights activism, research, and medical care.
Leonidas Berry M.D.
Dr. Berry was born in North Carolina and graduated from Wilberforce University and the University of Chicago before graduating from Rush Medical School in Chicago. He earned his medical degree in 1929. He became a world-renown physician who dedicated his life to the pursuit of racial, physical, and economic equality.
Myra Adele Logan M.D.
She was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. She earned a scholarship to New York Medical College. She graduated from medical school in 1933 and completed surgical training at Harlem Hospital. In 1943, she became the first woman to perform open heart surgery. She was also the first African American woman elected a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.Our Products
Did you know the first African American women doctor to earn a medical degree was was Rebecca Lee Crumpler in 1864?
Did you know that James McCune Smith was the first African American to earn a medical degree in
1837
Mentorship and Future Doctors
No matter what you do in life having a mentor helps. As a young person this is especially important. As a hopeful doctor I was fortunate to have good mentors and advisers. At times you may seem alone but realize mentors are all around you. They may be your parents, coaches, teachers, friends, barbers, beauticians and so much more. This need for mentorship starts early. I can recall walking in a hospital to volunteer as a youth. This simple act was a start to a new understanding of what it meant to be a doctor and to meet many new prospective mentors. In your life and career path you too will need to consider what makes sense for you. My book here serves as an example of what worked for me and I hope you can build upon my lessons learned.success.
Check out my Guide to Success for young people.This will help guide you to your dreams and success.
Volunteering
Don't underestimate the power of volunteering and what the experience can provide to you. You will learn a lot and meet great people. You may not get paid but you will be investing in yourself for years to come.
Academics
Take your education and schooling seriously. Try to develop good relationships with your teachers and classmates. Remember, education is the key to your success.
Set goals
Plan for your success. Have a short term and long term plan to reach your goals. Take the time out to figure out the things that you need to do today, tomorrow and a year from now. Some professions and goals can take years to reach but planning can make it possible.
Mentorship
Identify who the mentors are in your life. Don't be afraid to learn from them and lean on them. They will be an important part of the guidance you need to help make your dreams possible.
Friends
Associate with friends and groups that have similar goals as you do. Doing so will make it easier to progress to a common goal and to avoid unwanted trouble. There will be plenty of organizations to help you stay focused and get prepared for your success.
Don't be afraid to try new things and travel outside your comfort zone. This includes meeting new people who don't look like you or traveling to places that you are not familiar with. Of course use common sense and make good decisions.
Respect all people
This includes your peers and adults. It also includes yourself. Avoid drugs, alcohol, tobacco products and make sure to have a healthy diet.
Sponsorship and Donations
We are looking for sponsorship and donations to help us spread the world to youth about the incredible , rich and valuable information about the Original Black Doctors and so much more. Your financial support will help to make this possible. Schools, youth groups, sports teams, church organizations, adult leaders, fraternities/sororities and more, we are hoping you can help to spread the word.
Please send us your contact information and leave us a message.
Join our team
We are looking for you to join our team and help to spread the word about the Original Black Doctors. Contact us today.
Original Black Doctor
13635 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel MD 20707
(301) 497-1105