Dorothy Lavinia Brown

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Dorothy Lavinia Brown

• Black Women Surgeon
• By Lauren Brandl

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Dorothy Lavinia BrownWho is she?

• Not a research scientist
• Not a nurses aid
• But
• The First Black Women Surgeon in the South who
  was and is and inspiration to many

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Dorothy Lavinia Brown

• Born on January 7, 1919 in Philadelphia
  Pennsylvania
• Parents Edna and Kevin Thomas Brown
• She was placed in Troy Orphanage in New York at
  the age of 5 months
• Stayed there until she was 12 years old
• A tonsillectomy at the age of 5 -she knew she
  wanted to be a doctor

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Dorothy Lavinia Brown

• At the age of 12 her mother takes her out of the
  orphanage
• Worked as a maid, dry cleaner, and in laundry for
  the Jarrett family
• Instead of working wants to be educated
• Reads the books in the Jarrett family library
• Learns Algebra, Latin, and Chemistry
• Finished grade school and high school in Troy,
  New York

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Dorothy Lavinia Brown

• Lives with her foster parents Samuel and Lola
  Redmon
• Encouraged her artistic talent instead of
  medicine
• The Methodists Womens Group in Troy help her get
  money/scholarship to go to college
• She attends Bennett College in Greensboro, North
  Carolina
• Encourage her to teach instead of medicine

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Dorothy Lavinia Brown

• Obtained a Bachelor of the Arts degree in 1941
• After college she worked as an inspector for the
  Rochester Army Ordinance Department
• In 1944 She entered Meharry Medical School
• In 1948 she received her Medical Degree
• Followed by one year internship at Harlem
  Hospital
• Wanted to do her residency at Harlem but was
  rejected
• 5 years of residency in general surgery at
  Meharry Medical School and George W. Hubbard
  Hospital (Nashville Tennessee)

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Dorothy Lavinia Brown.Never Gives Up

• She decided she wanted to finish her surgical
  residency at Meharry Medical
• Other male doctors/colleagues did not like the
  idea of a women on their team
• Dr. Matthew Walker chief of surgery at Meharry
  agreed to give her a position
• He was impressed by her determination
• Gave her the nickname Dorothy Mule Brown

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Dorothy Lavinia Brown

• Chief surgery of Riverside Hospital -1957
• Clinical Professor of surgery of Meharry Medical
  College in 1965
• 1971-73 Director of Student of Health Service at
  Fisk-Meharry
• Other Activities...
• Consultant for the national Heart-Lung Blood
  Advisory Council
• Advisory Board of the Salvation Army

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Dorothy Lavinia BrownInspiration to many

• Lectures Nationally
• Role Model
• Tells children that dreams come true and
  anything is possible

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Dorothy Lavinia BrownHer Obstacles

• After working for the Jarrett Family in Albany
  New York she moves back to Troy and has no place
  to live and no money
• Before starting college she has no money to pay
  for school
• Teachers, parents and foster parents, and
  advisors discouraged her from medicine
• Unaccepted by other male colleagues
• Woman-Black-Poor
• Not physically, intellectually, nor emotionally
  fit to perform surgery

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Dorothy Lavinia BrownThere is a first time for
everything

• Finally in 1954 she became the first black
  surgeon in the south
• Other Firsts
• First unmarried women in the state of Tennessee
  to adopt
• First women to be elected to the Tennessee
  Legislature

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Dorothy Lavinia BrownThe Politician

• 1966 was the first black women to be elected in
  the Tennessee State Legislature Fifth District
• She wanted to liberalize state abortion laws
• She wanted to legalized abortion for victims of
  rape and incest
• She was criticized be her male colleagues
• The Bill did not pass but
• Promoted a Bill that established Negro History
  Week in Tennessee
• Eventually leads to the creation of Black History
  Month

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Dorothy Lavinia BrownAwards

• American College of Medicine
• Nashville Academy of Medicine
• R.F. Boyd Medical Society
• National Medical Association
• Award of Outstanding Achievement-Delta Sigma
  Theta Sorority 1963
• Outstanding Citizen
• Women of the Year
• Womens building at Meharry Medical College named
  after her
• Honorary Doctor of Science-Russell Sage
  College-1972
• American College of Surgeons