News
Courtesy NLM
Dr. Charles Drew
• Vivien Thomas (1910-1985): surgical technical assistant to Dr. Alfred Blalock at Vanderbilt, and supervisor of surgical laboratories at Johns Hopkins for 35 years; became pioneer in cardiac surgery despite having no formal education beyond high school and awarded honorary doctorate at Hopkins in 1976.
• Samuel Kountz, MD, FACS (1930-1981): Pioneer transplant surgeon; performed first successful human non-identical twin kidney transplant; developed Belzer kidney perfusion prototype.
• Claude Organ, MD, FACS (1926-2005): Professor of surgery at the University of California, Davis, and University of California, San Francisco East; editor of JAMA Archives of Surgery; founding member and President of SBAS (1995-1997) and second African American President of ACS (2003-2004).
Dr. Claude Organ
• LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., MD, FACS: Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery and former chairman of surgery at Howard University; former chairman of the President’s Cancer Panel; SBAS president (1997-1998); first African American president of the American Cancer Society; first African American president of the ACS (1995-1996).
• Levi Watkins, MD: Professor of cardiac surgery, Johns Hopkins University; performed first human implantation of automatic implantable defibrillator; carried out landmark efforts to strengthen diversity among health care professionals. Dr. Watkins commented: “On the occasion of the national holiday of my former pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I am happy to say that given the opportunity the African American surgeon has shown very well that he or she is capable and worthy to serve and lead this nation in health equity and well-being. We must, however, not allow this progress and opportunity to slip from us using slogans to replace direct action on our part. I must compliment the ACS for its role in helping to bring about change in this area.”
Courtesy Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Levi Watkins
• Harold P. Freeman, MD, FACS: Past president, American Cancer Society; past chairman, President’s Cancer Panel; pioneer architect of patient navigation programs; founder and president/CEO, Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute.
• Haile Debas, MD, FACS: Past chairman, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) department of surgery; past dean, School of Medicine; founding executive director, UCSF Global Health Sciences; president, the American Surgical Association (2002-2003).
• Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., MD: Emeritus professor of neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; president/CEO American Business Collaborative, LLC; awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom; renowned for historic 1987 surgical procedure separating craniopagus conjoined twins.
He recalled: “Twins joined at the back of the head had never before been separated with both surviving. The 22-hour operation which combined advanced neurosurgical techniques with hypothermic cardiac arrest proved successful. I intentionally remained in the background and did not reveal my role as the primary neurosurgeon until the press conference several hours after the completion of the operation. Historically, the accomplishments of Blacks in scientific endeavors have not been heavily covered by the news media. In order to inspire millions of Black youngsters who lacked scientific role models, I waited until the story was so big that the media could not back off. Thankfully our society has advanced to the point that this kind of thing is no longer necessary.”
Courtesy carsonscholars.org
Dr. Benjamin Carson
• Alexa Canady, MD, FACS: First African American female neurosurgery resident (University of Minnesota); became chief of neurosurgery at the Children’s Hospital of Detroit at age 36.
• Henri R. Ford, MD, FACS: Past surgeon-in-chief, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh; past vice-president, chief of surgery, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); vice-dean for Medical Education, Keck School/UCLA; SBAS president (2010-2011).
• L.D. Britt, MD, MPH, D.Sc (Hon), FACS, FCCM, FRCSEng (Hon), FRCSEd (Hon), FWACS (Hon), FRCSI (Hon), FCS(SA) (Hon), FRCS(Glasg) (Hon):
Chairman, department of surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School; past president of numerous academic societies (American College of Surgeons, 2010-2011; Southern Surgical Congress; American Association of Trauma; Halsted Society, SBAS 1999-2001; American Surgical Association; Society of Surgical Chairs); current SBAS executive director; Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Educator Award recipient (highest teaching award granted by Association of American Medical Colleges).
Professional and personal challenges
Dr. L. D. Britt
Many of these African American professionals tackle the same barriers to productive longevity as the African American general population – disparities in professional promotion opportunities, socioeconomic disadvantages, and reduced life expectancy (National Vital Statistics Reports; vol. 61 no. 4., National Center for Health Statistics 2013).
Black physicians are less likely to receive academic promotion in university programs and are underrepresented within the full professorship rank (JAMA 2000; 284:1085-92); African American researchers are less likely to receive NIH research funding (Science 2011;333:1015-19); and society has lost many academically accomplished African American surgeons to premature death from cancer and other illnesses as well as trauma. Icons Dr. Charles Drew and Dr. Sam Kountz both died in the prime of their professional careers. More recently, the surgical oncology community mourned the losses of Keith Amos, MD, FACS, assistant professor of surgery, University of North Carolina and Yvedt Matory, MD, FACS, assistant professor of surgery, Harvard Medical School. Both of these talented surgeons died before reaching age 50.