Last Updated: February 13, 2025
February is Black History Month, and RHHD’s Population Health Team is celebrating by highlighting Black Americans who have shaped our work in public health. “Learning about Black Americans in public health is important because their work has made our communities healthier and fairer,” says Population Health Manager Tamara Jones. “Their hard work and leadership improved medical care, fought disease, and shaped policies that protect everyone. By recognizing their impact, we honor their contributions and inspire future generations to continue building a better, healthier world.”
Here are some folks we want you to know!
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler
In 1864, Dr. Crumpler became the first African American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. She cared for formerly enslaved people in Richmond who had little access to healthcare, often working against sexism and racism to do so. In 1883, she wrote a book called Book of Medial Discourses where she shared guidance on maternal and child health; the book is believed to be the first medical text by an African American author.
Dr. David Satcher
The son of a farmer, Satcher nearly died at age two of whooping cough because his family had little access to health care. He was cared for by the only Black physician in the area and resolved from an early age to become a doctor. In 1993, Dr. Satcher became the first African American to hold the Centers for Disease & Prevention Director position. At the CDC, he emphasized disease prevention, instituting initiatives to raise childhood immunization rates, address emerging infectious diseases, and prevent food-borne illnesses. He has also served as the U.S. Surgeon General and the director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine.
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire
In 2014, Dr. Corbett-Helaire became the team leader for coronavirus research at the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID). She and her team worked with Moderna to develop a COVID-19 vaccine using advanced mRNA technology. In 2021, she was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for her contribution to science and public health. Dr. Corbett-Helaire is an Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a professor at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.
Dr. Joycelyn Elders
Dr. Elders is a pediatrician and public health administrator who was also the first African American to be appointed as the Surgeon General of the United States. She worked to reduce the prevalence of teenage pregnancy by promoting birth control, counseling, and sex education at school-based clinics. Her work also increased child immunizations and screening rates, the availability of HIV services, and breast cancer screenings.