In celebration of Black History Month, we honor our alumni and the transformative contributions that they have made to medicine and to the betterment of human health...

Daniel Hale Williams, 1883 MD, was the Medical School's first Black graduate and faculty member. Dr. Williams was the first Black fellow of the American College of Surgeons, principal founder of the National Medical Association, and founder of Chicago’s Provident Hospital and Training School for Nurses—the first Black-owned and -operated interracial hospital in the country. Regarded as the first Black cardiologist, he also performed one of the world's first successful heart operations in 1893.

Learn more about the Daniel Hale Williams Society, established in 2018 to address the need for greater recruitment of Black men in medicine.

Allen Alexander Wesley, 1887 MD, was co-founder of Provident Hospital; district physician for Cook County Hospital; and gynecologist, surgeon-in-charge, secretary to the medical staff, and chief surgeon at Provident. In 1898, Dr. Wesley enrolled in the 8th Regiment and volunteered to examine recruits for the Black 8th and white 9th Illinois Regiments. Commissioned a major, he was deployed to Cuba. There, he was appointed acting brigade surgeon in charge of the post hospital at San Luis and became the medical officer in charge of medical care for several infantry regiments and commanded 40 members of the hospital corps. He also was appointed one of three physicians to examine all medical officers appearing in Santiago—the first Black person to hold that position in the Army.

Austin Maurice Curtis, 1891 MD, was a protégé of Daniel Hale Williams, 1883 MD, and selected as Provident Hospital’s first intern. He was later appointed visiting surgeon on Provident’s staff and also opened a private practice in Chicago. In 1896, Dr. Curtis was the first Black appointee to Cook County Hospital’s surgical staff. He would later succeed Dr. Williams as surgeon-in-chief at Freedman’s Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Held in high regard for his bedside and operating room teaching skills, Dr. Curtis accepted an instructor position at Howard University and was named professor in the Department of Surgery.

Emma Ann Reynolds, 1895 MD, became interested in pursuing a medical career after witnessing severe healthcare disparities among Black Americans during her teaching career. She applied to nursing schools, only to experience repeated rejection because she was Black. Determined to overcome barriers, she approached Daniel Hale Williams, 1883 MD, about the lack of training opportunities for Black women. Dr. Reynolds would graduate from the first nursing class of Provident Hospital in 1892 and become the first Black woman to earn a medical degree from Northwestern University. Dr. Reynolds practiced in Texas and Louisiana, where her expertise in treating contagious diseases was noted. Dr. Reynolds would later establish a private practice in her home state of Ohio.

Ulysses Grant Dailey, 1906 MD, ScD, LLD, FACS, FICS, was an internationally respected surgeon, teacher, and editor for the Journal of the National Medical Association. As appointed gynecologist at Provident Hospital’s dispensary, he later became associate surgeon and attending surgeon after Daniel Hale Williams, 1883 MD, invited Dr. Dailey to be his surgical assistant. Dr. Dailey also served as an instructor in Clinical Surgery at Northwestern and attending surgeon at Fort Dearborn Hospital. He would later open Dailey Hospital and Sanitarium, providing affiliations for young Black specialists and excellent care for Black patients. Dr. Dailey was an elected member of the American College of Surgeons, the International College of Surgeons, and the National Medical Association where, in 1932, he presented one of the association's first scientific exhibits and served as chair of the Surgical Section, National Program Committee and, later, its youngest president.

Olive Myrtle Henderson, 1908 DDS, was inspired by her dentist, Ida Gray Nelson Rollins, DDS—the first Black woman to become a dentist in the United States—to pursue a dental career. Dr. Henderson completed her dental education at Northwestern University Dental School and was the first Black woman to graduate from Northwestern with a dental degree and the second Black woman to practice dentistry in Chicago. Dr. Henderson opened a private practice on the South Side in 1912, was active in the National Association of Colored Women, and retired in 1948 after 40 years in practice.

Daniel Herbert Anderson, 1909 MD, was an intern at Provident in 1903. Daniel Hale Williams, 1883 MD, was an apprentice to Dr. Anderson’s father, Charles Henry “Harry” Anderson, who ran a tonsorial parlor and bathing rooms in Janesville, Wisconsin. While studying to become a barber, Dr. Williams began a preceptorship in medicine and lived with the Anderson family. Dr. Anderson was originally named Daniel Hale Anderson in honor of Dr. Williams and had a private practice in Chicago.

Midian Othello Bousfield, 1909 MD, served as a Chicago Public School health officer, school tuberculosis physician, and medical director and vice president of the Liberty Life Insurance Company as one of its original incorporators. Dr. Bousfield was director of Negro Health with the Julius Rosenwald Fund, president of the National Medical Association, and the first Black speaker at the meeting of the American Public Health Association. He was elected president of the Chicago Urban League and was the first Black person appointed to the Chicago School Board. During World War II, as the first Black colonel in the Army Medical Corps, Dr. Bousfield commanded the first Black army hospital. He also was instrumental in organizing the Provident Medical Association, an organization of prominent Black physicians in Chicago who supported and funded medical specialists’ education.

Julian Dawson, 1914 MD, became an intern at Provident Hospital after his graduation from Northwestern. He established private practices in Jacksonville and Galesburg, Illinois. During World War I, he was called to active service and would later return to Chicago to join the staff at Provident. He retired as senior attending surgeon in 1951. Dr. Dawson also was active in the Illinois National Guard, joining the “Old Eighth” Infantry in 1922, where he attained the rank of brigadier general.

Theodore Kenneth Lawless, 1919 MD, 1920 MS, was a renowned Black dermatologist, businessman, and philanthropist. Dr. Lawless was one of the first faculty members to receive an Elizabeth Ward research fellowship at Northwestern, focused on treatment for leprosy, skin conditions, and syphilis. He taught dermatology at Northwestern until 1940 when he left to focus on his practice. Dr. Lawless held leadership positions at several banks and corporations, donating funds toward educational institutions across the southern United States, to youth organizations in Chicago, and to Jewish institutions because, as a young physician, he had received help, advice, and camaraderie from peers of Jewish heritage. Dr. Lawless received five honorary degrees and was awarded the Springarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest honor, in 1954.

Edward Willingham Beasley, 1923 MD, as a fourth-year medical student, worked for the Chicago Health Department as a bacteriologist from 6 p.m. until midnight while maintaining a high scholastic record. Through a competitive examination, he qualified for a coveted intern position at Cook County Hospital and later opened a general medical practice, saving toward future study. To supplement his income, he took on a physician role at Liberty Life Insurance. Later, he was appointed chair of the division of Pediatrics at Provident Hospital and also assisted in building a large pre-natal clinic there. In 1935, he was appointed instructor of Pediatrics at Northwestern and attending physician at Children’s Memorial Hospital—the first Black person to hold that position. He was one of the first two Black physicians to join the medical staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s predecessor, Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital. He also was active as supervisor for the Infant Welfare Bureau in Chicago and elected medical director of the Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company after the death of Midian Othello Bousfield, 1909 MD. Dr. Beasley was awarded a citation for distinguished service from the Chicago Pediatric Society.

Edwin Kenneth McDonald, 1923 MD, became an intern at Provident Hospital after medical school graduation. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. McDonald was a pediatrician for more than 44 years, operating a private practice on Chicago’s South Side, as well as serving as associate pediatrician-in-residence at Provident Hospital. He also was founder and director of the hospital’s Children’s Heart Clinic. Dr. McDonald’s great-grandson, Edwin Kenneth McDonald, IV, ’08 MD, ’11 GMER, also is a Feinberg graduate.

Alfred Bitini Xuma, 1926 MD, PhD, taught at various schools in the Eastern Cape before leaving South Africa in 1913 to study agriculture in the United States. After completing his courses of study, he was encouraged by one of his instructors to continue his education at the University of Minnesota. He decided on a medical career and was accepted to Minnesota’s medical department. He was later encouraged by the Methodist Episcopal (ME) Church to transfer to Northwestern, as the University was affiliated with the ME Church at that time. After completing his medical studies in Chicago, he continued his education in the United Kingdom, where he became the first Black South African to graduate with a PhD from the London School of Tropical Medicine. Dr. Xuma returned to South Africa in 1928 to practice as a physician in Johannesburg but soon became involved in political activities that led to his election as vice-president of the All-African Convention and president of the African National Congress.

Allwyn H. Gatlin, MD, 1953 GMEF, was born in Texas and completed his fellowship in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1953 at Northwestern, where he later joined the faculty. He was one of the first two Black physicians to join the medical staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s predecessor, Chicago Wesley Memorial Hospital. He also directed the Ambulatory Care Clinic at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital. A popular teacher and colleague, he was honored with Emeritus status in 1984.