Dr. Vivian Pinn was the first African American woman to chair an academic pathology department in the United States, at Howard University College of Medicine, and the first full-time director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Rosalyn P. Scott was a founding member of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons and the Association of Black Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons. She was the first Mary A. Fraley Fellow at the Texas Heart Institute, the first African American woman to be trained in thoracic surgery and the first African American woman to be granted membership in the Society of University Surgeons.
Dr. Renee Jenkins was the first African American president of the Society of Adolescent Medicine and the first African American elected as president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In 1867, Rebecca J. Cole became the second African American woman to receive an M.D. degree in the United States.
Maria Concepcion Bautista Vázquez is a Tsotsil writer and painter from the Tsotsil pueblo of Huixtan, Chiapas.
Marie Thérèse Colimon-Hall wrote three plays, a novel, a collection of short stories and numerous collections of poetry and essays. She is considered one of Haiti’s most prominent female authors.
Maryse Condé is the author of several novels, numerous plays, books of short stories, and essays and articles on African and Caribbean literature.
Maxine Hayes has dedicated her life to teaching and public service, focusing her efforts on disease prevention.
Dr. Gaston was the first African American woman to direct a Public Health Service Bureau.
Dr. Matilda Evans was the first African American woman licensed to practice medicine in South Carolina.