Medical Reading

Prologue

• The main character worries about earning enough money with her mother to return to college the next year.

• Dr. May Chinn passed away 40 years ago; she was a Black woman who overcame significant barriers in the early 20th-century medical field.

• The protagonist attends Washington University in St. Louis.

• One evening, she struggles to enter a lab with her ID card. A man follows her, questioning if she belongs there.

• Flashback:

  • As a child, she was called "stupid."

  • Scored at the top in AP Calculus but faced backlash from friends who claimed she would get into college "only because she’s Black."

• She and the man from the lab work next to each other, but after the incident, he never speaks to her again.

• She is the only Black student in the lab—other Black individuals are janitorial or kitchen staff.

• This experience dampens her enthusiasm for the lab.

• She opens up at a group session for the John B. Ervin Scholars Program (Harvard professor-led), helping her process the incident.

• At a conference, she stands with two other Black research students, realizing that many Black individuals face similar isolation in STEM.

• Minority Association of Rising Scientists (MARS):

  • Aims to counteract implicit bias and imposter syndrome among students of color in research.

  • Provides meetings where Black students discuss their experiences and offer guidance for success in science.

• Selected as a Rhodes Scholar, using her platform for advocacy.

• Pursued a Master’s in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology at the University of Oxford.

  • Dissertation focused on structural barriers preventing Black women from entering medicine in the U.S.

• The author:

  • Faced challenges in research and graduate studies while uncovering deep-rooted racial and gender discrimination in medicine.

  • Struggled with the lack of representation of Black women physicians.

  • Found an archive with interviews of Black women physicians, including Dr. May Chinn, which became a source of inspiration.

• Despite challenges—including COVID-19—she pursued medical school at Perelman School of Medicine.

• Encountered prejudice, with classmates questioning whether Black students truly "earned" their spots.

• Inspired by past Black women physicians, she persisted, emphasizing the importance of sharing their stories to inspire future generations.

• Stresses the need to correct historical omissions and properly acknowledge Black women’s contributions to medicine.

Chapter 1 – Rebecca Lee Crumpler & Early Black Physicians

Rebecca Lee Crumpler

• First African American woman to earn a medical degree in the U.S. (1864), just 14 months after the Emancipation Proclamation.

• Born: February 8, 1831, in Christiana, Delaware.

• Medical training in the 1800s:

  • Most physicians trained as apprentices to established doctors.

  • Only UPenn, Harvard, and Dartmouth offered formal medical lectures.

  • Some wealthy women studied abroad, mainly in Edinburgh, Scotland.

• Raised in Pennsylvania by her aunt, an herbalist, who treated sick people in distress. This inspired Rebecca to become a healer.

• Studied at West Newton English and Classical School (Massachusetts).

• Moved to Charlestown, MA (1852) to work as a nurse.

• Faced social and structural barriers preventing African American women from entering medicine.

• At the time, white men dominated medicine, with only a few African American men and white women entering the field.

James McCune Smith – Breaking Barriers in Medicine

• First African American to earn a medical degree (1837).

• Born enslaved (1813), but allowed to attend New York African Free School No. 2.

• Gained freedom through New York’s 1827 Emancipation Act.

• Despite being rejected by Columbia College and Geneva Medical College, he applied to University of Glasgow (Scotland).

  • Black professionals raised funds to send him abroad.

• Earned a BA, MA, and MD in just five years.

• Upon returning to the U.S.:

  • Opened the first Black-owned pharmacy.

  • Treated both Black and white patients.

  • Practiced medicine for 25 years.

• During his studies, anti-abolitionist riots (1834) destroyed his former school, spreading fear among aspiring Black students.

David Jones Peck – The First African American to Earn a U.S. Medical Degree

• Born free (1826-27) in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

• Parents, John C. and Sarah Peck, helped African Americans gain freedom and education.

  • John Peck was a key financial supporter of the Underground Railroad.

• Attended Rush Medical College (Chicago, 1846-1847).

  • At the time, white students owned slaves, making the environment emotionally challenging.

  • College president let students vote on whether Peck was qualified—after debate, he was accepted.

Women Entering Medicine – Elizabeth Blackwell

• First white woman to earn a U.S. medical degree (Geneva Medical College, 1849).

• Born in 1821 in Bristol, England, to a middle-class family.

• Had more connections than Rebecca Lee Crumpler.

• Sought advice from male physicians, many of whom discouraged her from pursuing medicine, questioning whether she could remain "ladylike."