More than a century ago, Dr. James McCune Smith did what had never been done before. He became the first Black person to earn a medical degree and practice medicine in this country. It took him years of determination and an education in Europe to accomplish that. Yet he paved the way for possibility. Today Black doctors are still breaking ground and carrying on that legacy of dedication and determination.

Some of these Black doctors have not only been first in their class, but achieved firsts in their field of medicine. They’ve gone on to open doors to the most elite medical schools including Yale and Johns Hopkins, and encourage medical leaders of tomorrow to carry on. They’ve also ventured into new fields that had never been tapped by Black doctors before them, including transplant surgery and ophthalmology.  Along the way, these great physicians have garnered the attention and earned the respect of people across the nation and around the world.  

Go to The Atlanta Post for the full list of outstanding doctors.

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