I get excited during the month of February as here at youempoweryourhealth.com, I get to share with you Black History Month, focusing on the many accomplishments as it relates to health and medicine throughout the generations.

Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee:  Born in 1942 in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee was the oldest of six children.  She is the sister of well-known entertainer, Diana Ross.  As her many siblings pursued their careers in music and entertainment, Ross-Lee also had an interest in show business, but soon turned her focus to medicine.  A graduate of Wayne State University in Michigan in 1965, Ross-Lee later went to Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine where she later opened up a family practice in 1973.  

In 1993, Ross-Lee was named dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University.  She was the first African American woman to be dean of a medical school and one of only a handful of female deans in the country. After a notable career in Ohio, Ross-Lee was appointed vice president for health sciences and medical affairs at the New York Institute of Technology in 2001 and one year later, she became dean of the school’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Richard N. Scott, M.D.:  Dr. Scott is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, and professor of surgery. He was the first African American surgical intern at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.

During his career he was appointed senior research associate at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.  In 1974 with his associates, he developed a new stapling technique for bronchial stump closure following a total lung resection. This technique is now recognized as a standard of care.

Dr. Scott was an associate professor of surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine and is a lecturer in the School of Public Health at Morgan State University. He currently holds the position of professor of surgery and physiology at The All Saints University School of Medicine in Aruba. Dr. Scott continues to actively promote screening and prevention of cardiovascular disease among medically challenged communities and mentors minority students for careers in academic surgery.