Osborne, Estelle Massey
1901-1981 · Contribution: 1931
Nurse and educator
First African-American to earn a master's degree in nursing

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1901, Palestine, Texas
- Active since
- 1923
- Category
- Science & Medicine
- Best known for
- First African American to earn a master's degree in nursing
Impact on the world
Osborne advanced nursing education and fought to dismantle the racial barriers that kept Black women out of nursing schools and the military nurse corps.
Sources
- NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Mahoney, Mary Eliza
1845-1926
Pioneering professional nursing practice and advocacy
Davis, Frances Elliott
1882-1965
First African-American nurse officially recognized by the American Red Cross
Ferebee, Dorothy Celeste Boulding
1898-1980
Physician and civil rights activist providing healthcare to underserved rural communities
Moore, Ruth Ella
1903-1994
Bacteriology and microbiology research — tuberculosis, blood-group distribution among Black Americans, dental caries, and the response of gut microorganisms to antibiotics