NHFHS is celebrating Black History Month by recognizing African Americans who have had a significant impact on Public Health in the United States. These inspiring individuals overcame racism, sexism, and other challenges to become innovators in their respective fields and champion the cause of equal access to health care for all citizens.
Kizzmekia S. Corbett, Ph.D., is a scientist who is destined for history books. Corbett has been at the forefront of the development of a highly effective vaccine to protect against COVID-19. Less than a year after the virus began spreading globally, the vaccine began to be delivered to millions of healthcare workers and others at high-risk. Prior to the pandemic, Corbett was part of a team at the National Institutes of Health whose research on other coronaviruses laid the foundation for the design of the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more…
David Satcher was appointed surgeon general by U.S. president Bill Clinton on February 13, 1998, and served simultaneously as assistant secretary for health from 1998 to 2001. As surgeon general he continued the battle against smoking and became the nation’s spokesperson on such issues as youth violence, obesity, oral health, sexual health, and suicide prevention. Read more…
Ruth Ella Moore, the first Black woman in the United States to get a doctorate in the natural sciences and to join the American Society for Microbiology (then the Society of American Bacteriologists), would also become the first woman to head up a department at Howard University. The mold-breaking scientist had diverse research interests and was a dedicated teacher and mentor. Read more…
Charles Richard Drew was an American surgeon, educator, and pioneering medical researcher on blood transfusions. He discovered that plasma had a longer shelf life than blood and could be separated to be used in transfusions. His work not only saved thousands during World War II, it also laid the groundwork for long-term blood preservation and storage techniques that have saved countless lives since. Read more…
Dr. Marilyn H. Gaston‘s professional career has been dedicated to improving the health of poor and minority families in our Nation and abroad. Her approach to accomplishing this goal has been through her direct delivery of quality primary health care; through the provision of medical education to young clinicians in training; involvement in clinical research; and through administration of local and Federal programs directed to services for the un- and underserved people of our country. Read more…