- Achilefu, SamuelPioneered near-infrared fluorescence imaging and led development of wearable Cancer Vision Goggles for image-guided surgeryc. 1960s–Present
- Alcorn, George Edward Jr.Imaging X-ray spectrometer fabrication method1940-2024
- Alexander, ClaudiaPlanetary science mission leadership1959-2015
- Amos, HaroldMicrobiology research and mentorship1918-2003
- Arinzeh, Treena LivingstonDeveloped the first Tissue Engineering and Applied Biomaterials Laboratory at the New Jersey Institute of Technologyunknown
- Ball, Alice AugustaInjectable chaulmoogra oil technique for leprosy treatment1892-1916
- Banneker, BenjaminAlmanac authorship; wooden clock construction; land surveying1731-1806
- Bath, PatriciaLaserphaco Probe for cataract surgery1942-2019
- Benjamin, ReginaFamily medicine and public health; as Surgeon General, championed prevention, healthy/fit-nation initiatives, breastfeeding support, and health equity for underserved communities1956-present
- Berry, LeonidasGastroscope development and gastroenterology pioneering work1902-1995
- Black, Keith L.Neurosurgery and brain-tumor research; pioneered methods to open the blood-brain barrier so chemotherapy can reach tumors, and developed dendritic-cell immunotherapy (cancer vaccines) for brain tumors1957-present
- Blackwell, DavidFirst Black member of the National Academy of Sciences; first Black tenured professor at UC Berkeley; Blackwell channel model in coding/information theory1919-2010
- Bouchet, EdwardPhysics doctoral research1852-1918
- Boyd, Robert F.First president of the National Medical Association1858-1912
- Boykin, OtisImproved control unit for artificial heart pacemakers1920-1982
- Brady, St. ElmoFirst African American to earn a PhD in chemistry in the United States; founded chemistry graduate programs at multiple HBCUs1884-1966
- Branson, Herman RussellEarly theoretical work on protein structure, contributing to the discovery of the alpha helix1914-1995
- Brown, Dorothy LaviniaPioneering general surgery practice in the American South1919-2004
- Burks-Houck, WinifredFirst woman president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE)1950-2004
- Callender, Clive O.Organ transplantation surgery and minority organ-donation advocacy; built an early minority-directed dialysis/transplant center and founded a national education program to raise donation rates1936-present
- Canady, AlexaPediatric neurosurgery techniques and practice1950-
- Carruthers, GeorgeUltraviolet camera/spectrograph for lunar observation1931-2020
- Carson, BenPediatric neurosurgery innovations1951-
- Chappelle, EmmettBioluminescence detection technique for microbial contamination1925-2019
- Chinn, May EdwardEarly cancer detection research; first African-American woman intern at Harlem Hospital1896-1980
- Cobb, Jewel PlummerCancer cell research; melanin pigmentation studies1924-2017
- Cole, Rebecca J.Medicine and early public/community health; provided medical care and health education to poor families and worked with Elizabeth Blackwell's New York Infirmary1846-1922
- Corbett-Helaire, KizzmekiaViral immunology and vaccine design; co-designed the mRNA-1273 (Moderna) COVID-19 vaccine through prefusion-stabilized spike-protein research, and contributed to COVID-19 monoclonal-antibody therapeutics1986-present
- Cowings, PatriciaAutogenic-feedback training exercise (AFTE) for space motion sickness1948-
- Crumpler, Rebecca LeePioneering medical practice serving freed slaves after the Civil War1831-1895
- Daly, Marie MaynardFirst African American woman to earn a PhD in chemistry in the United States1921-2003
- Davenport, James ClintonCo-founded the National Society of Black Physicists; chaired Virginia State University's physics department for over 30 years1936-
- Davis, Frances ElliottFirst African-American nurse officially recognized by the American Red Cross1882-1965
- Dickens, Helen OctaviaObstetrics and gynecology practice; teen pregnancy prevention programs1909-2001
- Drew, CharlesBlood plasma storage and large-scale blood bank methods1904-1950
- Durham, JamesOne of the earliest known African American physicians in the U.S. -- largely self-taught, without a formal degree -- who ran a respected New Orleans practice and corresponded with Dr. Benjamin Rush1762-c.1802
- Dwelle, GeorgiaEstablished the first general hospital for African-Americans in Georgia1884-1953
- Edwards, Lena F.Provided medical care to migrant farm worker communities1900-1986
- Elders, M. JocelynPublic health policy leadership; pediatric endocrinology research1933-
- Esquivel, JessicaCo-founded the #BlackInPhysics social movement and Oyanova Enterprisesunknown
- Falohun, TJLow-cost diabetic eye disease diagnostic devicecontemporary
- Ferebee, Dorothy Celeste BouldingPhysician and civil rights activist providing healthcare to underserved rural communities1898-1980
- Ferguson, Angella D.Pediatric research on sickle cell disease in Black infants; developed a blood test to detect the disease at birth and clinical guidelines for diagnosing/treating it in children; found that daily water intake reduced sickle-cell crises and recommended increased oxygen during surgery1925-2026
- Ford, Justina Laurena CarterFirst African-American woman to earn a medical license in Colorado1871-1952
- Francis-McBarnette, Yvette FayPediatric treatment of sickle cell anemia; pioneered prophylactic antibiotic therapy in children with sickle cell disease and ran large-scale pediatric screening programs1926-2016
- Freeman, Robert TannerFirst African-American to earn a dental degree in the United States1846-1873
- Frye, ClaraPatented combination bed and bedpan device; founded a hospital for Black patients in Tampa1872-1936
- Fuller, Solomon CarterEarly neuropathological research on Alzheimer's disease1872-1953
- Gates, Sylvester James (Jim)Theoretical physics research on supersymmetry and superstring theory1950-
- Grant, George F.Golf tee design; dental practice innovations1846-1910
- Gray, Ida (Nelson Rollins)First African-American woman to earn a dental degree in the United States1867-1953
- Green, Hadiyah-NicoleDeveloped laser-activated nanoparticle technology for targeted cancer therapy1981-
- Greene, Bettye WashingtonFirst African American woman hired as a research chemist at the Dow Chemical Company1935-1995
- Griffin, Bessie BlountSelf-feeding device for amputees1914-2009
- Hamburg, Beatrix McClearyFirst African-American woman to graduate from Yale School of Medicine; adolescent psychiatry research1923-2018
- Harris, James A.Co-discovery of elements Rutherfordium and Dubnium1932-2000
- Henderson, Olive MyrtleSecond African-American female dentist in Chicago; first Black woman dental graduate of Northwestern Universityunknown
- Hill, Henry AaronFirst African American president of the American Chemical Society; innovations in water-based paints, firefighting foam, and synthetic rubber1915-1979
- Hinton, William AugustusBacteriology, pathology, and public health; developed the Hinton test (1927), a more accurate, inexpensive blood-serum (flocculation) test for syphilis, and, with J.A.V. Davies, the Davies-Hinton test; authored the first medical textbook published by an African American ('Syphilis and Its Treatment,' 1936)1883-1959
- Hodge, John EdwardEstablished the chemical mechanisms underlying the Maillard browning reaction in food chemistryunknown
- Howard, T.R.M.Surgeon and civil rights leader; president of the National Medical Association1908-1976
- Imes, Elmer SamuelPioneering measurement of infrared absorption spectra confirming quantum theory predictions1883-1941
- Jackson, ShirleyTheoretical physics research underlying telecommunications technologies1946-
- Jefferson, Mildred FayFirst African-American woman to earn a medical degree from Harvard Medical School1926-2010
- Johnson, AshantiAquatic radio-geochemistry research1970-
- Julian, Percy LavonChemical synthesis of physostigmine and steroid hormones from soybeans1899-1975
- Just, Ernest EverettPioneering research on fertilization and cell surface biology in marine invertebrates; served as faculty advisor co-founding Omega Psi Phi Fraternity in 19111883-1941
- King, Angie TurnerEstablished American Chemical Society student chapters at multiple HBCUs1905-2004
- Kountz, Samuel L.Kidney transplant rejection research and technique development1930-1981
- Lacks, HenriettaSource of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized human cell line1920-1951
- Lawrence, Margaret MorganPioneering work in child psychiatry and psychoanalysis1914-2019
- Leffall, LaSalle Doheny Jr.First African American president of the American Cancer Society and the American College of Surgeons; trained nearly 300 surgical residents and roughly 6,000 medical students over more than 50 years at Howard University1930-2019
- Lloyd, Ruth SmithReproductive endocrinology research1917-1995
- Logan, Myra AdeleFirst woman to perform open-heart surgery1908-1977
- Lynk, Beebe StevenCo-founded the University of West Tennessee; pioneering chemistry educatorunknown-unknown
- Lynk, Miles VandahurstFounded the first medical journal published by an African American; co-founded the National Medical Association; founded the University of West Tennessee1871-1956
- Mahoney, Mary ElizaPioneering professional nursing practice and advocacy1845-1926
- Massey, Walter E.Co-founded the National Society of Black Physicists1938-
- Massie, Samuel P.Chemical research, Manhattan Project1919-2005
- McKane, CorneliusCo-founded the first hospital in Monrovia, Liberia and a hospital and nursing school in Savannah, Georgia1862-1912
- McKinney-Steward, SusanPioneering medical practice in New York State1847-1918
- Mickens, Ronald E.Mathematical epidemiology and nonlinear dynamics research; historian preserving the archival record of Black physicists1943-
- Moore, Ruth EllaBacteriology and microbiology research, tuberculosis, blood-group distribution among Black Americans, dental caries, and the response of gut microorganisms to antibiotics1903-1994
- Moore, Willie HobbsPioneering physics research and education1934-1994
- Mossell, Nathan FrancisFounded the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital, one of the first Black-owned hospitals in Philadelphia1856-1946
- Mtingwa, SekaziCo-founded the National Society of Black Physicists; high-energy physics researchunknown
- Neal, Homer Alfred Jr.Particle physics research with the ATLAS experiment at CERN1942-2018
- Oluseyi, Hakeem MuataDeveloped space science technologies; holds 7 U.S. and 4 E.U. patents on devices including computer chip components1967-
- OnesimusIntroduced the principle and procedure of variolation (smallpox inoculation) to colonial Boston, deliberately introducing material from a smallpox pustule into a small skin wound to confer immunity, based on a practice long used in West Africalate 1600s-1700s
- Osborne, Estelle MasseyFirst African-American to earn a master's degree in nursing1901-1981
- Owens, Joan MurrellMarine biology, geology, and paleontology; research on deep-sea 'button' corals, described a new genus (Rhombopsammia, with species R. niphada and R. squiresi) and a new species (Letepsammia franki), and proposed how reduced calcium carbonate at depth shaped coral evolution1933-2011
- Patton Washington, Georgia E.L.First woman to earn a medical degree from Meharry Medical College; epidemiological research in Liberia1864-1900
- Peck, David JonesFirst African-American to graduate from a U.S. medical school1826-1855
- Poindexter, Hildrus AugustusBacteriology and the epidemiology of tropical diseases, malaria, schistosomiasis, and other infectious diseases; field research and disease-control programs across Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean1901-1987
- Prescod-Weinstein, ChandaTheoretical cosmology and particle physics research; launched the Cite Black Women+ in Physics and Astronomy Bibliographyunknown
- Roman, Charles VictorFounded Meharry Medical College's Department of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology; first editor of the Journal of the National Medical Association1864-1934
- Sampson, Henry T. Jr.Co-invented the gamma-electric cell; solid rocket propellant research1934-2015
- Satcher, DavidPublic health leadership and policy; as Surgeon General, issued landmark reports on tobacco use among minorities, mental health, suicide prevention, and sexual health, and worked to eliminate racial health disparities1941-present
- Satcher, Robert 'Bobby' Lee Jr.First orthopedic surgeon to travel into space; bone cancer specialist1965-
- Scantlebury, Velma P.Organ transplantation surgery (kidney and other organs); performed more than 2,000 transplants and advanced education on organ donation in Black communities1955-present
- Scott, Roland B.Pioneering pediatric research on sickle cell disease; authored a landmark 1948 study on red-cell sickling in newborns that led toward routine newborn screening; 250+ publications on sickle cell, allergy, and child development1909-2002
- Simon, ArlynePatented blood test for detecting organ transplant rejection in cancer patients1986-
- Sinkford, Jeanne CraigFirst female dean of Howard University College of Dentistry; first female prosthodontist with a doctoral degree1933-
- Smith, James McCuneFirst African American to earn a medical degree (University of Glasgow, 1837); also the first African American to own and operate a pharmacy in the U.S. and the first to publish in peer-reviewed medical journals1813-1865
- Stith, James H.Leadership across multiple national physics professional organizationsunknown
- Thomas, VivienSurgical technique development for treating 'blue baby syndrome'1910-1985
- Turner, Charles HenryPioneering research in zoology, entomology, and comparative psychology, the study of insect behavior and cognition; demonstrated that insects can hear and distinguish pitch, that bees perceive color and visual patterns, and that insects (e.g., cockroaches) can learn from experience1867-1923
- Tyson, Neil deGrasseAstrophysics research (stellar evolution, galactic structure and astronomy, cosmology) and public science communication; director of the Hayden Planetarium, overseeing its $210M reconstruction1958-present
- Wakefield-Paillet, EmmaFirst African American woman to earn a medical degree (1897) and to practice medicine in Louisianaunknown-1939
- Walker, Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Jr.Developed normal incidence multilayer XUV telescopes for photographing the solar corona1936-2001
- Washington, Warren M.Pioneering development of computer-based atmospheric and climate models; among the first to build general-circulation climate models and to incorporate oceans and sea ice, foundational to modern climate prediction and IPCC assessments1936-2024
- Welsing, Frances CressPsychiatrist and author who examined the psychological and social effects of racism and white supremacy1935–2016
- Wethers, Doris L.Pediatrics and sickle cell disease; established hospital sickle cell programs and led the national push for universal newborn screening1927-2019
- Wilkins, J. Ernest Jr.Nuclear physics research, Manhattan Project1923-2011
- Williams, Daniel HalePioneering open-heart surgical procedure1856-1931
- Woodby McKane, AliceCo-founded the first hospital in Monrovia, Liberia1865-1948
- Wright, Jane C.Chemotherapy treatment protocols and drug delivery research1919-2013
- Wright, Louis T.First clinical use of Aureomycin antibiotic on humans1891-1952
- Young, Roger ArlinerResearch in zoology and marine biology, the structures controlling salt concentration in Paramecium, fertilization in marine organisms, and the effects of radiation on sea urchin eggs1899-1964