Women of Color as Leaders in Public Health and Health Policy Conference

CHRONOLOGY OF ACHIEVEMENTS OF WOMEN OF COLOR IN HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Susan Maria Smith, MD
1847-1918—First African-American woman doctor in New York State.

Susie King Taylor
1848-1912—First African-American U.S. Army nurse during the Civil War.

Susan La Flesche Picotte, MD
1865-1915—First Native American woman physician.

Mary Mahoney (1845 - 1926)
1879—First African-American woman to study and work as professionally trained nurse graduating from the New England Hospital for Women and Children (Now Dimock Community Health Center), Boston.

Jane C. Wright, MD
1938—African-American woman appointed Associate Dean and professor of surgery at New York Medical College - the position as a dean at that time was the highest post ever attained by an African-American woman in medical administration.

Annie Dodge Wauneka (1910 - 1997)
1951—Native American, tribal leader of the Navajo Nation and public health activist, Wauneka gained election in 1951 to the Tribal Council, the second Native American woman ever so elected.
1963—First Native American to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Dr. Geraldine Pittman Woods
1964—First African American woman appointed to the National Advisory General Medical Services Council.

Dr. Lauranne Sams
1971—African American woman - founder and first president of the National Black Nurses Association.

Marian Wright Edelman, JD
1973—First African American woman founder of the Children's Defense Fund- the nation's strongest advocacy group for children.

Lydia Villa-Komaroff, PhD
1973—Native American woman and founding member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS).
2001—Native American, Vice President for Research, Northwestern University Medical School.

Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, PhD, RN, ND, FAAN
1975-1980—First Latina and Founder of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

Jeanne C. Sinkford, DMD
1975-1991—First female and first African American woman Dean of Howard University College of Dentistry.
2002—African American, Currently American Association of Dental Schools (AADS) Associate Executive Director and Director, Division of Equity and Diversity.

Faye Wattleton
1978-1992—First African-American woman and the youngest president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Johanna Clevenger, MD
1982-1983—First Native American woman President of Association of American Indian Physicians.

Henrietta Villaescusa, RN, FAAN
1984-1988—Past President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

Lori Arviso Alvord, MD
1985—First Navajo woman surgeon and Associate Dean for Student and Minority Affairs at Dartmouth Medical School and Assistant Professor of Surgery.

Jane Delgado, PhD
1985—Latina, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (formerly National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services Organizations.

Wilma Mankiller
1985—First Native American woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Dr. Edith Irby Jones
1985-1986—First African American woman President of National Medial Association (NMA).

Audrey Borbes Manley, MD, MPH
1987—First African American woman appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health.

Debora Stith- Prothrow, MD
1987-1989—First female, first African American and youngest-ever Commissioner of Public Health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Tessie Guillermo
1987-2002—Asian American, CEO, Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum.
2002—First Asian American woman President and CEO, Community Technology Foundation of California.

Vivian Pinn, MD
1989-1990—African American woman President of National Medical Association.
1991—First female and first African American woman Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health.

Antonio Novello, MD
1990-1993—First female and first Latina appointed Surgeon General of the United States.
2001—Latina, Commissioner of New York State Department of Health.

Marilyn Gaston, MD
1990-2002—First female and first African American woman Director of Bureau of Primary Health Care, HRSA, HHS.

Theresa Walls
1990—Native American, Executive Director, Department of Public Health Gila River Indian Community, AR.

Margaret Hamberg, MD
1991-1997—First African American woman and the youngest individual to assume the position of Commissioner of New York City.
1997-1999—African American, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, DHHS.
2002—African American, Vice President of Biological Programs @ The Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Gloria Smith, RN
1991-2002—African American woman, Senior Vice President, Kellogg Foundation.

Juliann Bluitt, DDS
1991-93—First female and first African American elected president of the Chicago Dental Society and to the American College of Dentists.

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA
1992-94—First African American woman appointed deputy administrator of the federal Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (now the Agency for Health Care Quality).
2002—First African American woman appointed President of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee
1993—First African American woman to head a United States osteopathic medical school (Ohio University medical school).
2002—First African American woman Dean of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of Technology (NYCOM).

Yvone Madlock
1993—First African American woman appointed Director, Memphis & Shelby County Health Department, Memphis, TN.

Saskia Estupiñán-Day, DDS
1993—Latina, Regional Advisor for Oral Health for the World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization.

Estelle Richman, MA
1993-2000—African American woman, former Commissioner, Department of Health, Philadelphia, PA.

Helen Rodriguez-Trias, MD
1993-2001—First Latina to be founder and co-director of Pacific Institute of Women's Health.
1994-95—Latina, President of American Public Health Association.

Joycelyn Elders, MD
1993-94—First African American woman appointed as U.S. Surgeon General.

Sandra B. Nichols, MD, MS
1994-1998—First African American woman director of Arkansas Department of Health.

Nelba Chavez, PhD
1994-2000—First Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and first Latina to head a public health agency in the history of DHHS.

Stephanie Bailey, MD
1995—First African American woman appointed Director of Health, Metropolitan Government of Nashville.
1999-2001—First African American woman elected as President of National Association of City and County Health Officials ( NACCHO).

Yvonne Maddox, MD
1995—First African American woman to be appointed Deputy Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH.
2000—First African American woman appointed Acting Deputy Director and Director at National Institutes of Health.

Helene Gayle, MD, MPH
1995-2001—First female and first African American Director, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control.
2001—African American, Senior Advisor in HIV/AIDS, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Sheila Webb
1995-2002—African American woman appointed Health Director, Health Department of New Orleans

Donna Christian-Christensen, MD
1996—First woman physician and first African American woman physician in the U.S. Congress.

Betty Smith Williams, DrPH, RN
1996-1999—African American, President of the National Black Nurses Association.
1999—First President and First African women President of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Association.

Karen Scott Collins, MD, MPH
1996-2002—First African American woman appointed Vice President of The Commonwealth Fund.

Sandra Hernandez
1997—First Latina Chief Executive Officer of San Francisco Foundation.

Ingrid Duran
1998—Latina, President and CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI).

Tuei Doong
1998—First Asian American woman appointed Deputy Director, Office of Minority Health, DHHS.

Elena Rios, MD
1998—First Latina President and founder of National Hispanic Medical Association as well CEO of Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools, Inc.

Jai Lee Wong
1998—First Asian American woman serving as Senior Program Officer at The California Endowment.

Ulder Jane Tillman, MD, MPH
1998-2002—African American woman appointed Director of Delaware Division of Public Health.

Hilda Richards, EDN, RN
1999—African American, Current president of the National Black Nurses Association.

Marsha Lillie-Blanton, PhD
1999—First African American woman appointed Vice President in Health Policy, The Kaiser Henry Family Foundation.

Yvonne T. Green, RN, MSW
1999—First African American woman appointed Director, Office of Women's Health, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Yvette Roubideaux, MD, MPH
1999-2000—Native American, President of Association of American Indian Physicians.

Diana Bonta, RN, DrPH
1999-2002—First Latina appointed Director of California Department of Health Services.

Melvian McCabe, MD
2000-2001—Native American, President of Association of American Indian Physicians.

Mary Lou deLeon Siantz, PhD
2000-2002—Latina, President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.
2000—Latina, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University

Maxine Hayes, MD, MPH
2000—African American woman, State Health Officer, Washington State Department of Health.

Lucille C. Norville Perez, MD
2001-2002—African American woman, President of National Medical Association.

Marsha Butler, DDS
2002—First African American woman dentist serving as Worldwide Director, Global Professional Marketing and External Relations, Colgate-Palmolive Company- one of the nation's largest corporations.

Alicia Lara
2002—First Latina appointed Vice President of Program, The California Endowment.

Dr. L. Natalie Caroll
2002—African American woman, Current President of National Medical Association.

Michelle Leverett, MD
2002—Health Officer, Baltimore County Department of Health, M.D.

Joan Y. Reede, MD, MPH, MS
2002—First female and first African American Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership, Harvard Medical School.

Ho Tran, MD, MPH
2002—Asian American woman appointed President and CEO, Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum.

Nilda Peragallo, RN, DrPH, FAAN
2002—Current President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

Marcelle Willock, MD
2002—First African American woman appointed Dean, College of Medicine, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science.

Roselyn Payne Epps, MD, MPH, MA, FAAP
2002—First African American woman to serve as President of American Medical Women's Associaiton