{{short description|Surgeon General of the United States}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Regina Benjamin |image = Regina Benjamin official portrait.jpg |caption = Official portrait, 2009 |office = 18th Surgeon General of the United States |president = Barack Obama |term_start = November 3, 2009 |term_end = July 16, 2013 |predecessor = Donald Weaver (acting) |successor = Boris Lushniak (acting)<br>Vivek Murthy (permanent) |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|10|26}} |birth_place = Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |education = {{ubl |Xavier University, Louisiana (BS) |Morehouse School of Medicine (attended) |University of Alabama, Birmingham (MD)|Tulane University (MBA)}} |branch = U.S. Public Health Service |branch_label = Service |unit = USPHS Commissioned Corps |service_years = 2009–2013 |service_years_label = Service years |rank = Vice Admiral |mawards = USPHS Regular Corps Ribbon }} '''Regina Marcia Benjamin''' (born October 26, 1956) is an American physician and a former vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who served as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States.<ref name="benjaminbio">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/14/health/policy/14surgeon.html|title=A Doctor From the Bayou|date=July 14, 2009|work=The New York Times|first=Gardiner|last=Harris|access-date=February 11, 2018}}</ref> Benjamin previously directed a nonprofit primary care medical clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and served on the board of trustees for the Morehouse School of Medicine.
==Early life and education== Benjamin was born in Mobile, Alabama on October 26, 1956.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huliq.com/3257/83446/regina-benjamin-picked-surgeon-general|title=Regina Benjamin Picked as Surgeon General|first=Michael|last=Santo|date=July 13, 2009}}</ref> She graduated from Fairhope High School in Fairhope, Alabama, and then attended college at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans,<ref>{{cite book|title=Current Biography Yearbook 2010|year=2010|publisher=H.W. Wilson|location=Ipswich, MA|isbn=9780824211134|pages=[https://archive.org/details/currentbiography2010unse/page/30 30–33]|chapter=Benjamin, Regina|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/currentbiography2010unse/page/30}}</ref> where she was initiated into the Gamma Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She is also a member of the second graduating class of Morehouse School of Medicine, then a two year program at Morehouse College.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_31.html |title=Changing the Face of Medicine | Regina Marcia Benjamin}}</ref><ref name="benjaminbio"/> She received her M.D. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed her residency in family medicine at the Medical Center of Central Georgia.<ref name="benjaminbio"/> About her experience as the first member of her family to attend medical school, she has stated "I had never seen a black doctor before I went to college."<ref name="benjinterview">Deborah Solomon, [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09FOB-Q4-t.html "Questions for Regina Benjamin"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927210753/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09FOB-Q4-t.html |date=September 27, 2015}}, ''New York Times Magazine'', 2011-01-09. Retrieved January 8, 2011.</ref> After entering solo medical practice in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Benjamin worked for several years in emergency rooms and nursing homes to financially support its mission. After receiving an MBA from the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, she converted her office to a rural health clinic.<ref name="Genius-2009-07-13">{{cite news |title=Obama Taps 'Genius' Doctor, Katrina Victim for Surgeon General |date=July 13, 2009 |publisher=Fox News Channel |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-taps-genius-doctor-katrina-victim-for-surgeon-general/ |access-date=July 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715162352/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/13/obama-taps-alabama-doctor-surgeon-general/ |archive-date=July 15, 2009 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref>
== Career == Benjamin is a former associate dean for rural health at the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama, where she administered the Alabama AHEC program and previously directed its Telemedicine Program. She served as the president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA) in 2002, making her the first African-American woman president of a State Medical Society in the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Dr. Regina Benjamin |journal=The Book & Beyond |url=https://alafricanamerican.com/dr-regina-benjamin/ |access-date=27 September 2025}}</ref> In 1995, she was elected to the board of trustees of the American Medical Association, making her both the first physician under age 40 and the first African-American woman to be elected. She also served on the Board of Trustees of Florida A & M University, appointed by Florida Governor Jeb Bush.<ref>[http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/Dr_Regina_Benjamins_Background Dr. Regina Benjamin's Background – Fox10tv.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718045551/http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/Dr_Regina_Benjamins_Background |date=July 18, 2009}}</ref> From 2008 to 2009, she served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Federation of State Medical Boards, a national non-profit organization representing the 70 medical and osteopathic boards of the United States and its territories.<ref>Benjamin RM. Planting Seeds of Excellence. ''Journal of Medical Licensure and Discipline''. 95(1):3–4. 2009.</ref>
Benjamin is a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She was a Kellogg National Fellow and also a Rockefeller Next Generation Leader. She has served on boards and committees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/about/annual-report/pdf/ar02_pt4.pdf|title=Physicians for Human Rights − About PHR|access-date=July 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408051001/http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/about/annual-report/pdf/ar02_pt4.pdf|archive-date=April 8, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Deep South Girl Scout Council.<ref name="bayoubenjamin"/>
She was appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act Committee and to the Council of Graduate Medical Education, and she is also a member of the "Step 3 Committee."<ref name="bayoubenjamin">[https://archive.today/20130414141408/http://www.bayouclinic.org/default.aspx?id=21 Regina M. Benjamin, MD – Bayou Clinic Homepage]</ref> In Alabama, she formerly served as vice president of the Governor's Commission on Aging, and also formerly as a member of the Governor's Health Care Reform Task Force and the Governor's Task Force on Children's Health.<ref name="bayoubenjamin"/>
She was a paid consultant for Burger King, contracted to provide nutritional advice on their offerings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.wkrg.com/news/2009/aug/13/dr-regina-benjamin-paid-by-burger-king-ar-2127191/WKRG|title=WKRG}}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
Benjamin's clinic was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina and in 2006 by a fire on New Year's Day, one day before the scheduled reopening. She made headlines when she rebuilt the clinic a second time.<ref name="Genius-2009-07-13"/>
On March 10, 2016, it was announced that Benjamin will chair the National Kidney Foundation's CKD''insight'' summit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kidney.org/news/former-surgeon-general-regina-m-benjamin-chair-national-kidney-foundation%E2%80%99s-chronic-kidney|title=Former Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin to Chair National Kidney Foundation's Chronic Kidney Disease Prevention Initiative|date=March 10, 2016}}</ref> The goal of the meeting is to generate a clear, cohesive strategy that will create a roadmap for change that will elevate the national perception of kidney disease and create a culture where early detection is a priority.
In July 2016, Benjamin joined the Board of Directors of Darkness to Light,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.d2l.org/former-u-s-surgeon-general-and-executive-director-of-the-beau-biden-foundation-for-the-protection-of-children-join-darkness-to-light-board/|title=Former U.S. Surgeon General and Executive Director of the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children Join Darkness To Light Board|date=2016-09-15|work=Darkness to Light|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-US|archive-date=October 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025071139/https://www.d2l.org/former-u-s-surgeon-general-and-executive-director-of-the-beau-biden-foundation-for-the-protection-of-children-join-darkness-to-light-board/|url-status=dead}}</ref> a national nonprofit advocate for child sexual abuse prevention. "This is not simply an issue for one family or community – it is a public health issue that affects society as a whole," Benjamin has said of the issue of child sexual abuse.
=== Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic === Benjamin is founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, a small shrimping village along the Gulf Coast. Benjamin was the subject of a Reader's Digest article that chronicled her efforts to rebuild the clinic after Hurricane Katrina.<ref>[http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/dr-regina-benjamin----a-healing-force/article19591.html Dr. Regina Benjamin – A Healing Force] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090717001330/http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/dr-regina-benjamin----a-healing-force/article19591.html |date=July 17, 2009}}</ref>
=== Surgeon General of the United States === [[File:President Barack Obama with Surgeon General nominee Regina Benjamin 07-13-09.jpg|right|thumb|Benjamin accepting President Obama's nomination for U.S. Surgeon General in July 2009.]]
On July 13, 2009, President Barack Obama announced the choice of Benjamin for the position of Surgeon General of the United States<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/07/the-doctor-is-finally-in-obama-to-name-regina-benjamin-for-surgeon-general.html|title=The Doctor Is (Finally) In: Obama To Nominate Regina Benjamin as Surgeon General|publisher=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124749440449132729|title=Surgeon General Is Designated|first=Jane|last=Zhang|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=July 14, 2009|access-date=February 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-obama-surgeongeneral-idUSTRE56C3HI20090713|title=Obama picks Regina Benjamin as U.S. surgeon general|date=July 13, 2016|publisher=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31929715|title=Obama on health care policy: 'No free lunch'|date=July 16, 2009|publisher=NBC News}}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and as a Medical Director in the regular corps of the Public Health Service.<ref name="confirm">{{cite web|url=https://senatus.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/senate-confirms-regina-benjamin-as-surgeon-general/|title=Senate Confirms Regina Benjamin as Surgeon General|date=October 29, 2009|publisher=Senatus}}</ref> On October 7, 2009, Benjamin was unanimously approved by the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.<ref>[http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/senate-committee-approves-dr.-regina-benjamin/420752/Oct-07-2009_12-52-pm/ Senate Committee Approves Dr. Regina Benjamin] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011073509/http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/senate-committee-approves-dr.-regina-benjamin/420752/Oct-07-2009_12-52-pm/ |date=October 11, 2009}}</ref> Benjamin was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on October 29, 2009.<ref name="confirm"/>
Benjamin accepted the Obama's nomination, and made clear her dissatisfaction with the current health care system, in terms of accessibility as well as cost.<ref name="benjaminbio"/> Also in accepting her nomination, Benjamin described her own hardships faced by disease and illness in her own family. She noted the deaths of her brother, who died of HIV, as well as her father, who died of high blood pressure and diabetes, and her mother who died of lung cancer, all of which, she implied, were "preventable diseases."<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/13/regina-benjamin-obamas-pi_n_230547.html Regina Benjamin, Obama's Pick For Surgeon General] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224833/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/13/regina-benjamin-obamas-pi_n_230547.html |date=March 3, 2016}}</ref>
In January 2010, Benjamin released her first document, entitled "The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation." In it, she highlighted the alarming trend of overweight and obese Americans, and offered a blueprint for grassroots efforts to make changes that promote the health and wellness of families and communities.<ref>[http://surgeongeneral.gov/library/obesityvision/obesityvision2010.pdf Surgeongeneral.gov] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527153338/http://surgeongeneral.gov/library/obesityvision/obesityvision2010.pdf |date=May 27, 2010}}</ref> Her work in this area has continued. One program encouraged women of color to exercise more and not skip the gym for fear of "messing up their hair" gave $5,000 to the winner of a healthy hair and fitness competition. This was detailed in an NPR interview.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/08/08/158419580/surgeon-general-dont-let-hair-get-in-the-way|title=Surgeon General: Don't Let Hair Get In The Way|website=NPR.org}}</ref> During the course of this interview several other programs were discussed, including the campaign against obesity, and the "Million Hearts" campaign to prevent one million heart attacks each year.
On January 20, 2011, Benjamin issued ''The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding'', which was a science-based summary document intended to stimulate action on improving breastfeeding rates in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/index.html |title=Reports and Publications |date=July 19, 2006}}</ref> There were 20 action items and 52 recommended implementation strategies.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK52682/ |title=The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding |series=Publications and Reports of the Surgeon General |year=2011 |publisher=Office of the Surgeon General (US) |pmid=21452448 |author1=Office of the Surgeon General (US) |author2=Centers for Disease Control Prevention (US) |author3=Office on Women's Health (US)}}</ref>
In September, 2012, Benjamin issued "The 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, a report from the U.S. Surgeon General and the Action Alliance". This report discussed 13 goals and 60 objectives for reducing suicides over the next 10 years. In 2002, Surgeon General David Satcher launched the first National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/national-strategy-suicide-prevention/index.html|title=National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action, 2012|last=SG|date=April 5, 2019}}</ref><ref>[http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/1209102435.aspx 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216194408/http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/1209102435.aspx |date=February 16, 2013}}</ref>
Benjamin resigned from the position of U.S. Surgeon General on July 16, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publichealthnewswire.org/?p=7789|date=June 12, 2013|work=Public Health Newswire|publisher=American Public Health Association|title=Surgeon General Regina Benjamin announces resignation|author=David|access-date=July 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328011111/http://www.publichealthnewswire.org/?p=7789|archive-date=March 28, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
====Criticism==== Her political support for abortion access had been cited as a source of controversy, since Benjamin is a Catholic and the Catholic Church opposes such access. However, she has also received an award from Pope Benedict XVI.<ref>[http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1141814.html Obama's surgeon general pick: a Catholic who backs abortion rights]{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Benjamin also sits on the board of the Catholic Health Association<ref>[http://www.chausa.org/Pub/MainNav/AboutCHA/Governance/CHABoard/ CHAUSA: The Catholic Health Association of the United States – CHA Board: Board of Trustees] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103112936/http://www.chausa.org/Pub/MainNav/AboutCHA/Governance/CHABoard/ |date=January 3, 2010}}</ref> and is active in her local church.<ref>[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159707.php Picks For NIH Head, Surgeon General Side With Obama On Reproductive Issues, Despite Faith] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807133929/http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159707.php |date=August 7, 2009}}</ref> Benjamin served on the board of trustees of the Catholic Health Association. She was endorsed by Lloyd Dean, the president of Catholic Healthcare West, the largest hospital system in California, who issued a statement saying he was "delighted" by her nomination.<ref>[http://www.prochoicecalifornia.org/media/news/20090714~3.shtml Obama's surgeon general pick: a Catholic who backs abortion rights] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224028/http://www.prochoicecalifornia.org/media/news/20090714~3.shtml |date=March 3, 2016}} NARAL. July 14, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2012.</ref>
During her confirmation process, critics also sought to make Benjamin's personal weight a source of controversy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/regina-bejamin-surgeon-general-nominee-overweight/story?id=8129947|title=Benjamin: Too Heavy to Be Nation's Top Doc?|publisher=ABC News|date=July 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1254993360186020.xml&coll=3|title=Mobile, Alabama Real-Time News|website=al.com|access-date=September 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006164702/http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews%2F1254993360186020.xml&coll=3|archive-date=October 6, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
''The New York Times'' food columnist Mark Bittman said that Benjamin, "like most of her predecessors", avoided controversy, and avoided criticizing industry. The 2010 report, he said, blames "the victims" for eating too much and not getting enough exercise, while ignoring the marketing of junk food, and the scientific evidence for the contribution of sugar-sweetened food to obesity.<ref>[http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/our-m-i-a-surgeon-general/ Our M.I.A. Surgeon General] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229200103/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/our-m-i-a-surgeon-general/ |date=December 29, 2015}}, By Mark Bittman, ''The New York Times'', February 20, 2013</ref>
== Awards == In 1998, she was the United States recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights.<ref name="Genius-2009-07-13"/>
Benjamin was named by ''TIME'' magazine as one of the "Nation's 50 Future Leaders Age 40 and Under." She was featured in a ''New York Times'' article, "Angel in a White Coat," and was chosen "Person of the Week" by ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, "Woman of the Year" by CBS This Morning, and "Woman of the Year" by People Magazine. She was also featured on the December 1999 cover of ''Clarity Magazine'' and received the 2000 National Caring Award, which was inspired by Mother Teresa.<ref name="bayoubenjamin"/>
In 2006, she was awarded the papal cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Pope Benedict XVI.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cbs5.com/national/obama.surgeon.general.2.1083264.html|title=Obama Taps Ala. Doctor For Surgeon General|access-date=July 13, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>
In 2008, Benjamin was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/news/best-leaders/2008/11/19/americas-best-leaders-regina-benjamin-small-town-primary-care-physician.html|title=America's Best Leaders – Regina Benjamin|access-date=July 13, 2009}}</ref> In September 2008, she was one of that year's class of 25 in the MacArthur Fellows Program, nicknamed the "Genius Awards," receiving a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that would have been worth $500,000 over the course of five years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2009/07/13/obama-names-regina-benjamin-as-surgeon-general.html|title=Obama Names Regina Benjamin as Surgeon General}}</ref> However, as a federal employee, she had to stop accepting the MacArthur Fellows stipend when she accepted the position as Surgeon General.<ref name="benjinterview"/>
{| |- |75px Badge of the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services |- |75px Surgeon General of the United States Badge |- ||60px Public Health Service Regular Corps Ribbon |- ||60px ''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' Award |- |}
In 2009, she received the American Medical Association Foundation Leadership Award.
In 2010, she was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Science from Dartmouth College at its Commencement ceremony.
On May 8, 2010, she was awarded an honorary degree of Doctorate of Pharmacy from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at the college's 130th Commencement ceremony held at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York.
On Saturday, May 15, 2010, Benjamin received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science at Tulane University Commencement.
On October 7, 2010, she received the Trumpeter Award from the National Consumers League recognizing her years of service to improving the nation's health.
On May 28, 2011, she received an honorary degree of Doctorate of Humane Letters from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, after which she delivered the address for the school's 205th commencement.
On May 18, 2012, she received an honorary degree of Doctorate of Science from the University of Rochester Medical Center's School of Medicine and Dentistry. She also delivered the commencement address.
On May 9, 2014, she received The Nichols-Chancellor's Medal from Vanderbilt University and spoke at the University's Senior Day event.
On May 14, 2016, she received an honorary degree from Elizabethtown College.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/give-of-yourself-dr-regina-benjamin-tells-elizabethtown-college-graduates/article_5929997e-1a18-11e6-acd6-73886354c6ab.html|title=Give of yourself, Dr. Regina Benjamin tells Elizabethtown College graduates|publisher=Lancaster Online|first=Tim|last=Stuhldreher|date=May 14, 2016|access-date=February 11, 2018}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== {{commons category-inline}} *{{official website|http://reginabenjamin.net/}} *[http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/ Official website of the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States] *[http://www.bayouclinic.org BayouClinic.org] *{{C-SPAN|55445}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=Donald Weaver<br />{{small|Acting}}}} {{s-ttl|title=Surgeon General of the United States|years=2009–2013}} {{s-aft|after=Boris Lushniak<br />{{small|Acting}}}} {{s-end}}
{{US Surgeons General}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Regina}} Category:1956 births Category:20th-century Roman Catholics Category:21st-century Roman Catholics Category:African-American Catholics Category:American Roman Catholics Category:Catholics from Alabama Category:Delta Sigma Theta members Category:Freeman School of Business alumni Category:MacArthur Fellows Category:Morehouse School of Medicine alumni Category:Living people Category:People from Fairhope, Alabama Category:Military personnel from Mobile, Alabama Category:Medical doctors from Alabama Category:Surgeons general of the United States Category:Tulane University alumni Category:United States Public Health Service personnel Category:United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps admirals Category:University of Alabama at Birmingham alumni Category:University of South Alabama faculty Category:Xavier University of Louisiana alumni Category:African-American women medical doctors Category:21st-century American women academics Category:21st-century African-American medical doctors Category:21st-century American medical doctors Category:21st-century African-American women Category:20th-century African-American medical doctors Category:20th-century African-American women Category:Members of the National Academy of Medicine Category:African-American female military personnel Category:20th-century African-American military personnel Category:American female military personnel Category:21st-century African-American military personnel Category:21st-century American military personnel Category:20th-century American medical doctors Category:20th-century American women medical doctors Category:21st-century American women medical doctors