Jefferson, Mildred Fay
1926-2010 · Contribution: 1951
First African-American woman to earn a medical degree from Harvard Medical School
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Became the first African-American woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School and the first woman certified by the American Board of Surgery in her surgical specialty.
Life & background
A surgeon, Jefferson became the first African-American woman to earn a medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1951, going on to a career as a surgeon and later becoming a prominent public figure in national policy debates.
Sources
- Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library; BlackPast.org; Harvard Medical School Perspectives of Change
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