I’ve been reading with great interest about Dr. Alexa Canady – a woman of many firsts!! Actually, this blog was to have been posted 2 weeks ago, but I am a bit confused by some of the information I have been reading on-line. She is a pediatric neurosurgeon, a physician specializing in brain surgery with a focus on taking care of children, and has been called the first African American woman, the first woman, and the first African American neurosurgeon trained in the U.S.!  But I came across a few conflicting articles.

Dr. Canady was born in Lansing MI and received her undergraduate degree at U Mich in 1971.  She went on to receive her MD at the College of Medicine at U Mich in 1975 and completed a surgery internship at Yale-New Haven hospital in 1976.  It has been said that she entered her neurosurgery residency at Univ. of Minnesota in 1976, becoming the first black female neurosurgery resident in the US.  But here is why I am confused – was there a black male neurosurgery resident in the US before her?  That history is a bit obscure.

While Dr. Clarence Summer Greene, Sr. is the first practicing neurosurgeon in the U.S., he trained in Canada.  There is a report of a physician from Nigeria, Dr. E. Latunde Odeku, who received his MD from Howard University in 1954 and then completed a neurosurgical residency at U Mich in 1960. He is reportedly the first African-American trained in neurosurgery in the U.S.  After practicing a short while in the U.S., he returned to his hometown of Lagos, Nigeria.

And per the Women in Neurosurgery (WIN) website, it seems there were a few women who completed their training in neurosurgery – test your knowledge using their online quiz!  So I am going to highlight a few of Dr. Canady’s known firsts:

·         First black woman neurosurgeon in the U.S.
·         First black woman neurosurgeon hired at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital
·         First black woman certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery
·         First black director of Neurosurgery at the Children’s Hospital at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan

I am sure there are more!!!  For those of you who are not aware, neurosurgery is probably one of the most challenging specialties and training programs.  Not an easy training for anyone and as the first black woman, I am almost certain Dr. Canady faced an array of microaggressions and frank racism in her day.  What an amazing role model for young women!

In 1989, Dr. Canady was inducted into the Michigan Women’s hall of fame – a great and fitting honor for this very special lady!

                                     ~One drop of knowledge can ripple through an entire community.

Not sure why I thought writing about Dr. Vivian Pinn would come easy for me. Perhaps it is because I have admired her for so many years; been privileged to travel with her on occasion; invited by her to participate in a summit to explore key research issues in women’s health related to vulnerable populations.  But paralysis set in – how could I paint an adequate picture of this heroic woman?  After realizing that no 500-word blog could ever do justice, my focus shifted to simply making folks aware of how very important she has been to advancing the field of women’s health.

Dr. Pinn was the first full-time director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  She took on that role in 1991 at the request of Dr. Ruth L. Kirschstein, another pioneering woman who was at that time Deputy Director of the NIH.  The NIH is the medical research agency for the United States and the largest source of research funding for medical research in the world.   

The ORWH is responsible for developing a strategic plan that helps guide the research agenda for NIH funding of projects related to women’s health. In 1994, the NIH revised its inclusion policy to meet this mandate that women and minorities must be included in all of its clinical research studies. What a challenge to take on the role of inaugural Director of a new office at the NIH!

Dr. Pinn was used to being a pioneer – she has had many firsts over her career.  She was the only black and the only woman to graduate from her medical school class at UVA in 1967; the first black resident in Pathology @ Massachusetts General Hospital; and became the first black woman to Chair a Pathology Department in the U.S. when she took that job at Howard University.  

Despite her many firsts and her array of accomplishments, Dr. Pinn remains down-to-earth, approachable, and driven! The best way for you to get a glimpse into how amazing a person she is – listen to her words.  Here is the full transcript of an interview Dr. Pinn gave at UVA for their Explorations in Black Leadership series.

I first saw Dr. Pinn in the early 2000’s during an awards Gala for the National Medical Fellowships. I was an NMF scholar; she was one of the special guests.  As she took the stage, I saw beauty, intelligence, strength, determination, expertise – all in one person.  Dr. Pinn represented everything I aspired to be! 

It was several years later, when she returned to Harvard as a guest lecturer that I reached out to her.  She was open and accessible. I could not turn down her invitation to participate in the 2009 scientific meetings to set the research agenda for the next decade (product of my working group on page 206 of the 2020 Strategic Plan). I was so honored when she invited me to the ORWH 20th Anniversary Scientific Symposium and Celebration in 2010.  Although, a new Director took over the ORWH I 2012, Dr. Pinn’s vision shaped the mission of the office and changed the face of medicine and medical research forever.

                          ~One drop of knowledge can ripple through an entire community

Did you see Google’s doodle today??  Yes, the month of February is here and so begins the month-long observance of Black History Month.  Kudos to Google for beginning the month with a tribute to Ms. Harriett Tubman!  She was an amazing abolitionist – a strong woman who personally helped free many slaves via the Underground Railroad.  She also worked as a Union spy to help the more global cause of freedom. Here is a link to quick video and accompanying article that sheds a little light on her life and work.  Although the opening sentence uses the gentler term bondswoman to describe her status at birth, we all know she was born a slave.  The physical abuse she endured as such lasted her entire lifetime, but did not diminish her desire and ability to help other slaves gain their freedom.

Yesterday, January 31, 2014, marked the 149th anniversary of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution - the constitutional amendment that formally abolished slavery 2 years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring the end of that dehumanizing race-based institution.  It still took several additional constitutional amendments and years of fighting against discriminatory practices to get where we are today.

I am proud of Google for starting off the month celebrating Harriett Tubman.  In general, the contributions of women are diminished or not discussed.  Even more so for the courageous acts of bravery by black women who were denigrated for centuries.  So in keeping with this theme, I too, will celebrate the accomplishments of black women this month.  

Just as last February my blog focused on the accomplishments of blacks in medicine (see archives), the tradition will continue.  But I will lead off the series with one of my favorite black female physicians -
                                Dr. Vivian Pinn.  

Stay tuned!!

                            ~One drop of knowledge can ripple through an entire community