This week in Black History health……

Dr. Alexa Irene Canady – the first African-American woman to become a neurosurgeon in the United States.  Born in 1950 in Lansing, Michgan, Dr. Canady went on to college but almost dropped out as a result of her having trouble convincing herself that someone would give her a chance.  She was chief of neurosurgery at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan from 1987 until her retirement in 2001.  She now spends her time speaking and mentoring high school students in Pensacola, Florida.

Provident Hospital and Training School – in Chicago was the first black-owned and operated hospital.  Founded in 1891 by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Provident provided training for black nurses, interns as well as medical treatment for black patients.  It provided services for hundreds of African Americans for nearly 100 years until its closure in 1987.  It reopened in 1993 as part of Cook County’s Health services, providing services to Chicago residents, particularly  those who reside on Chicago’s south side.

William Augustus Hinton – was the first black professor at Harvard Medical School. Hinton finished college in just 3 years, receiving his M.D. in 1912.  He developed what is now known as the Hinton test for syphilis and later the Davis-Hinton test for blood and spinal fluids.  In 1936, Hinton published the first medical textbook by an African-American, “Syphilis and its Treatment”.

Doctors Paula R. Mahone and Karen L. Drake – made medical history when they, along with a team of 40 specialists, delivered the first septuplets born alive in the United states in 1997 in Des Moines, Iowa.