9781422283288

Introduction

1876 Meharry Medical College, in Nash- ville, Tennessee, was established to train black physicians. Even when those insti- tutions began graduating students, how- ever, young black M.D.s found it diffi- cult to get further training that would allow them to practice vitally needed medical specialties. Also, few white hos- pitals would allow them to see patients. With the the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and the push for integra- tion, blacks began gaining access to white medical schools and hospitals, but they continued to face racism and preju- dice. Although attitudes have arguably become more enlightened in the ensuing

Careers in health care fields are expected to grow in the near future.

decades, there is still a shortage of black physicians: accord- ing to recent census data, African Americans account for approximately 14 percent of the population, but they repre- sent just five percent of all practicing doctors. The towering figures in this volume—whether they hail from the 19th century or our own era—should serve as in- spiration for a new generation of medical students. Read more about the steps needed to join their ranks in the final chapter. The statistics make it clear that disease and mortal- ity are not colorblind, and increasing the number of minori- ty physicians will greatly improve the chances that patients of color get access to much-needed, quality healthcare. •

Introduction

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