Black people have been blocked from working at hospitals—or even being admitted to them—throughout history. Yet Black inventors and clinical pioneers have still continued to improve medical care. Fighting the racism and segregation of the past two centuries, Black healthcare professionals have helped build a foundation for many of the lifesaving technology and techniques we use today.
As February rings in celebrating Black History Month1 and calls attention to heart health for American Heart Month,2 GE Healthcare honors the memory of two Black men who forged ahead in advancing the field of cardiology. Their contributions underscore the still-present need to diversify the medical workforce.
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Surgeon
Daniel Hale Williams was the first Black surgeon in the United States to perform a successful open-heart surgery—and among the first few surgeons3 to perform the procedure in history. But it took quite some time for him to get there.
Daniel Hale Williams was the first Black surgeon in the United States to perform a successful open-heart surgery.
After graduating from medical school in 1883, Dr. Williams was one of only three Black physicians in the city of Chicago. He opened a private practice and worked as a surgeon for the City Railway Company, establishing such a significant reputation as a skilled surgeon that the Illinois governor appointed him to the State Board of Health in 1889.
Despite these successes, Dr. Williams was still not able to obtain a staff position at any major Chicago city hospital because of his race. Dr. Williams' work was steeped in breaking racial barriers and improving access to quality medical care for all. He opened Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses in Chicago in 1891. Providing training and internship programs for nurses and doctors of color, his hospital was the first to have a racially integrated staff.
Dr. Williams continued his commitment to providing opportunities to Black medical professionals by co-founding the National Medical Association,4 a collective voice of physicians advocating for parity in the practice of medicine. This organization served as an inclusive alternative to the American Medical Association, which did not admit Black physicians at the time.
Today, Dr. Williams is best known for his surgical skill. In 1893, he performed open-heart surgery5 on a patient admitted to Provident with a stab wound; Dr. Williams sutured the patient's pericardium, the membranous sac that encloses the heart. He employed sterilization practices that were emerging at the time and successfully performed the surgery without many of the tools available today, such as X-rays or antibiotics.
Otis F. Boykin, Inventor
Otis Boykin6 was an inventor whose creations made today's pacemakers possible. He graduated from Fisk University in 1941 and began working as an assistant at an aerospace lab, only staying a few years before starting his own business: Boykin-Fruth Inc. In 1946, he began graduate school, but he had to drop out after one year because he couldn't afford tuition. That setback didn't stop him from pursuing his own inventions—particularly in the area of electrical resistors.
Otis Boykin was an inventor whose creations made today's pacemakers possible.
Resistors, as the name suggests, create resistance in the flow of a device's electrical current; they may adjust signal levels, divide voltages, terminate transmission lines, and take other measures to ensure proper function. Boykin's submitted his first patent in 1959 for a wire precision resistor. Two years later, he filed a patent for an electrical resistor that was more durable, less expensive, and easier to manufacture; this resistor could withstand extreme accelerations and temperature changes without breaking. By the time of his death in 1982, he had 26 patents to his name.
While the technology has been expanded upon since its creation, Boykin's resistors have been used in products around the world, such as computers, military technology, and radios. In the field of cardiology, these resistors form a key part of pacemakers' control units,7 allowing these units to deliver repeated, precise electrical stimulation8 on a timed basis. Or, more simply, a resistor enables a pacemaker to control the electrical pulses that maintain a person's heartbeat.
Interestingly, it is believed that Boykin may have developed an interest in resistors because his mother died from heart failure when he was just a year old. Now, his invention is the foundation for today's pacemakers, prolonging and saving countless lives.
Fighting for Diversity in Medicine Today
A growing body of research9 into the statistics of representation continues to find that diversity within the medical workforce leads to better care, cultural competence, and access to vital health services.
A growing body of research9 into the statistics of representation continues to find that diversity within the medical workforce leads to better care, cultural competence, and access to vital health services.
Encouraging diversity in the medical field also allows for advances that might not have occurred otherwise. Where would cardiology be without Boykin's contributions to the pacemaker?
Yet Black physicians are still underrepresented in medicine. According to data collected by the Association of American Medical Colleges,10 only 5 percent of active physicians identify as Black or African American. Would that figure be even lower without Dr. Williams' efforts fighting for equity in the workforce? His calls for racial integration certainly still hold value: a study from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health11 noted that students who attend more racially diverse medical education programs are more confident about caring for patients from different ethnicities.
Finally, research published in Health Equity12 found that minority patients are more likely to choose physicians who are minorities themselves. Further, they are ultimately more satisfied with those physicians' care, showing a strong case for cultural competency.
Physicians who are part of a minority group also tend to practice more often in underserved areas, so it stands to reason that having fewer minority medical professionals could mean reduced access to care for communities in those areas. When it comes to heart health, access to care is key. This is particularly true for Black communities, which see roughly a 47 percent rate of cardiovascular disease—the highest in the United States, reports the American College of Cardiology.13
Keeping Medicine Close at Heart
Dr. Williams and Otis Boykin both made great strides in advancing the medical profession and cardiology care. However, part of celebrating Black History Month is recognizing that many modern doctors and healthcare innovators of color still face similar barriers. GE celebrates the Black pioneers, both then and now, who have advanced the medical field to where it is today: functioning pacemakers, open-heart surgeries, integrated hospital workforces.
GE celebrates the Black pioneers, both then and now, who have advanced the medical field to where it is today: functioning pacemakers, open-heart surgeries, integrated hospital workforces.
As you refresh and revitalize the ways you promote your own heart health in February—maintaining a healthy weight, controlling cholesterol, quitting smoking, and perhaps scheduling a heart-health screening14—acknowledge the vital role of the underappreciated people who fought to build a better medical field for all.
References
