M. WHARTON YOUNG
M. WHARTON YOUNG (1903–1986) was a neuroanatomist whose primary research was in the fields of baldness and deafness and who also did research on the anatomical basis of glaucoma. A Fulbright scholar, professor, and visiting lecturer, he served as chairman of the Ninth International Congress of Anatomists in Leningrad, Russia, in 1970. Dr. Young received the U.S. Department of Defense’s Pentagon Award for his research on the mechanics of blast injuries.
CARTER G. WOODSON
CARTER G. WOODSON (1875–1950), known as the Father of Negro History, set for himself the goal of providing a scientific and historical account of people of African ancestry. Born to former slaves, he educated himself as a youth and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912. Among his highly influential writings are The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 and The Negro in Our History. Although his six-volume Encyclopedia Africana remained unfinished at the time of his death, his works are the foundation for countless other writers on African American history. One of Dr. Woodson’s achievements was the organization in 1926 of the first Negro History Week, which has evolved over the years to become what is currently known as African American History Month.
WILLIAM JULIUS WILSON
WILLIAM JULIUS WILSON (1935– ), one of America’s leading sociologist, and a prolific author, was, in 1996, named the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. At Harvard, Dr. Wilson will also serve on the Advisory Board of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African American Research. A former MacArthur Prize Fellow, Wilson served as the Lucy Flower Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy and former chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. In 1991 Dr. Wilson became a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
DONALD E. WILSON
DONALD E. WILSON became Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in September 1991. In May 1999, he was named Vice President for Medical Affairs of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. At the State University of New York Health Science Center in Brooklyn he was professor and chairman of the Department of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief at the University Hospital. He completed his undergraduate education at Harvard and received his medical degree from Tufts University. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and is a co-founder of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians, established in 1986. He is also a Master of the American College of Physicians; an honor bestowed on less than 0.4 percent of its members. He is chairman of the Maryland Health Care Commission and chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
DANIEL HALE WILLIAMS
DANIEL HALE WILLIAMS (1858–1931) was the first person in the world to operate successfully on the human heart. He performed that feat in 1893 at Provident Hospital in Chicago and went on to perform other history-making operations. In 1891 he founded Provident Hospital, first hospital and training school for African American nurses and interns in the United States. Appointed by President Grover Cleveland to head Freedman’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., Dr. Williams established a nursing school there for African Americans. His papers were printed in their entirety in the Annals of Surgery and in abridged forms in the Chicago Medical Recorder and the Illinois Medical Journal.
JACK E. WHITE
JACK E. WHITE (1921–1988), who was director of the Howard University Cancer Research Center and chairman of the Department of Oncology at Howard University’s College of Medicine, made outstanding contributions to cancer research. He was a recipient of an award from the American Cancer Society for Outstanding Service to the Cause of Cancer Control. Dr. White was a member of the Institute of Medicine and the American Association for Cancer Research.
CHARLES HENRY TURNER
CHARLES HENRY TURNER (1867–1923) was a biologist, neurologist, psychologist, and chemist who made an international reputation as a researcher in animal behavior, concentrating on bees and ants. In 1907 Dr. Turner was a delegate to the Seventh International Zoological Congress and in 1912 he became one of the few African Americans elected to membership in the Academy of Sciences of St. Louis. Dr. Turner served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati and was head of the science department at Clark University, Atlanta, Georgia.
REED V. TUCKSON
REED V. TUCKSON (1951– ) has dedicated his career to improving the health and well-being of residents of urban communities, particularly minorities and children. Dr. Tuckson is currently the group vice president for professional standards at the American Medical Association. He is also the immediate past president of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, one of only four historically black medical schools west of the Mississippi. Dr. Tuckson has also served as a senior vice president of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and as the commissioner of public health of the District of Columbia. Dr. Tuckson is a member of the Institute of Medicine and has served on advisory committees and boards associated with the Institute of Medicine, the National Black Leadership Institute on Cancer, and other organizations. Awards received by Dr. Tuckson include the Gene Frey award for community service from the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C.
LOUIS W. SULLIVAN
LOUIS W. SULLIVAN (1933– ) is a medical researcher, educator, and adviser to the federal government. From 1989 to 1992 he served as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He was founding dean and director of the medical education program at Morehouse College and first dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Sullivan has served as director of hematology, the field of his major research work, at Boston University City Hospital and was project director of the Boston Sickle Cell Center. He has received numerous honors and awards and has been recognized with a mastership in the American College of Physicians. He has been a member of the Institute of Medicine since 1975.
MITCHELL W. SPELLMAN
MITCHELL W. SPELLMAN (1919– ) is director of International Exchange Programs at Harvard Medical International and dean (emeritus) for International Projects, dean (emeritus) for Medical Services, and professor of surgery (emeritus) at Harvard Medical School. He has served as dean and executive dean of the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School and as professor of surgery and assistant dean at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from three universities and numerous awards, including the Dillard University Distinguished Alumnus Award, the William A. Sinkler Award of the National Medical Association, and a creative award from the Charles R. Drew Medical School Foundation. A member of the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Spellman has chaired IOM’s Program Committee and served as a member of the Governing Council.