{"id":2847,"date":"2022-02-02T20:28:25","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T20:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=2847"},"modified":"2022-02-02T20:28:25","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T20:28:25","slug":"american-urological-association-and-urology-care-foundation-celebrate-black-pioneers-in-medicine-during-black-history-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=2847","title":{"rendered":"American Urological Association and Urology Care Foundation Celebrate Black Pioneers in Medicine During Black History Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

BALTIMORE<\/span>,\u00a0Feb. 1, 2022<\/span>\u00a0\/PRNewswire\/ —\u00a0Nearly 50 years ago, President\u00a0Gerald Ford<\/span>\u00a0became the first president to officially observe Black History Month. In a message delivered on\u00a0Feb. 10, 1976<\/span>, he called on the nation to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/a><\/div>
The American Urological Association and the Urology Care Foundation celebrate Black History Month.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\"Urology<\/a><\/div>
Urology Care Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Today, the American Urological Association (AUA) and Urology Care Foundation continue to express a longstanding recognition of Black History Month and the many contributions African Americans have made to our society and culture. While many are familiar with such iconic figures as\u00a0Martin Luther King Jr.<\/span>,\u00a0Maya Angelou<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0Rosa Parks<\/span>, there are many lesser known Black men and women, including pioneers in medicine and urology, whose achievements should also be recognized.<\/p>\n

Born in 1762 and living and working most of his life in slavery,\u00a0Dr.\u00a0James Durham<\/span><\/b>\u00a0is considered the first African American to work as a doctor in America. As a young man, he was owned by a number of doctors, who taught him how to read and write, mix medicines and serve and work with patients. Durham had a flourishing medical practice in\u00a0New Orleans<\/span>\u00a0until 1801 when the city restricted his practice because he did not have a formal medical degree.<\/p>\n

In 1837,\u00a0Dr.\u00a0James McCune Smith<\/span><\/b>\u00a0graduated from the\u00a0University of Glasgow<\/span>, making him the first African American to earn a medical degree.<\/p>\n

In 1864, after years as a nurse,\u00a0Dr.<\/b>\u00a0Rebecca Lee Crumpler<\/span><\/b>\u00a0became the first African American woman in\u00a0the United States<\/span>\u00a0to receive a medical degree, making her the first Black woman physician in the U.S.<\/p>\n

In 1895, the\u00a0National Medical Association<\/b>\u00a0was founded, since African Americans were barred from other established medical groups.<\/p>\n

In 1936,\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Richard Francis Jones<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>(Dr. R.\u00a0Frank Jones<\/span>) became the first African American Diplomate of the American Board of Urology. He is the sixth African American ever to become a board-certified specialist in the U.S. At the time, Black physicians were not allowed to join medical specialty societies, which kept them from working in most hospitals. Dr. Jones is also the first African American member of the AUA.<\/p>\n

In 1950,\u00a0Dr.\u00a0Helen O. Dickens<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>became the first African American woman admitted to the American College of Surgeons.<\/p>\n

Today, Dr.\u00a0Bobbilynn Hawkins<\/span><\/b>\u00a0remains the nation’s first African American full professor of urology and the sixth female urologist to be certified by the American Board of Urology. Additionally, she is the first female urologist in\u00a0the United States<\/span>\u00a0Army, and served more than 30 years as a military command surgeon, earning the rank of Colonel and serving in the Gulf War.<\/p>\n

While February brings extra attention to the contributions of African American pioneers, it also raises awareness of the prevalence of urologic diseases such as prostate, kidney and bladder cancer, which disproportionality affect the African American population, as well as the need for increased diversity within the practice of medicine to help provide culturally competent care.<\/p>\n