College of Medicine,
Biological Sciences and Psychology
Ernest Everett Just (1883 – 1941)
A pioneering biologist, academic, and science writer
He was the first to recognise the fundamental role of the
cell surface in the development of organisms.
Ernest Everett Just pioneered many areas on the physiology of development, including
fertilization, experimental parthenogenesis, hydration, cell division, dehydration in living
cells and ultraviolet carcinogenic radiation effects on cells.
In 1915 he won the NAACP's first Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement by a black
American.
Department of Health Sciences Athena SWAN
College of Medicine,
Biological Sciences and Psychology
Cecilia Anim
Elected as the first black president of the Royal
College of Nursing in 2014
Cecilia Anim is clinical nurse specialist in sexual and
reproductive health, particularly in family planning and
aspects of women’s health.
Image via https://www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/news/amessage-from-rcn-president-cecilia-anim
She originally trained as a midwife in Ghana, where she worked before moving to the UK
and qualifying as a nurse in 1977.
Anim was awarded the RCN Certificate of Merit for outstanding service to members in
2000.
Department of Health Sciences Athena SWAN
College of Medicine,
Biological Sciences and Psychology
Inez Beverly Prosser (1897 – 1934)
A psychologist, teacher and school administrator
The first African American woman to receive a PhD in Psychology
Her dissertation, which examined the development of African American children in mixed
and segregated schools, was one of the first investigations into the social domain of
elementary school children.
Her powerful argument regarding the effects of racial inequality on the mental health of
African-American children continued to be influential in educational debates, despite her
early death at the age of 38.
Department of Health Sciences Athena SWAN
College of Medicine,
Biological Sciences and Psychology
Lord Bernard Ribeiro
A pioneering surgeon and prominent political figure
He was a consultant general surgeon at Basildon Hospital
for nearly 30 years (1979-2008 where he pioneered the
use of minimally invasive keyhole surgery.
Image via http://bulletin.facs.org/2013/09/georgef-sheldon/
He played a central role in establishing the Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust’s advanced laparoscopic unit.
He served as President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England from 2005-2008 and
he was created a life peer in 2010.
Department of Health Sciences Athena SWAN
College of Medicine,
Biological Sciences and Psychology
Vivien Thomas (1910 – 1985)
A cardiac surgery pioneer and researcher
Vivien Thomas was a surgical technician who worked with
Alfred Blalock to develop the procedures used to treat blue
baby syndrome (a congenital heart malformation that robs
the blood of oxygen) in the 1940s.
Thomas and Blalock did ground-breaking research into the causes of haemorrhagic and
traumatic shock
In 1976 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University and
named as an instructor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Department of Health Sciences Athena SWAN
College of Medicine,
Biological Sciences and Psychology
Samantha Tross (1968 – )
A consultant orthopaedic surgeon
Samantha Tross was the first black woman to become a
consultant orthopaedic surgeon in Britain; only 11% of all
surgeons in Britain are women.
Image via http://guyanesegirlsrock.com/
Born in Guyana, she moved with her family to England in 1979 and went on to graduate
from University College London and specialise in adult reconstructive surgery.
Tross is a fellow of the Royal College of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a member of the Royal
Society of Medicine and an associate editor of the Journal of Medical Case Reports.
Department of Health Sciences Athena SWAN
College of Medicine,
Biological Sciences and Psychology
Charles R. Drew (1904 – 1950)
An American surgeon and medical researcher
A researcher in the field of blood transfusions, he was
responsible for developing the concept of the Blood Bank.
Charles Drew directed the US Blood for Britain project during World War II, which
operated successfully for five months with a total of almost 15,000 people donating blood.
He was a Professor of Surgery and Chief Surgeon at Freedman’s Hospital, D.C. and was the
first African-American surgeon selected to serve as an examiner on the American Board of
Surgery.
Department of Health Sciences Athena SWAN
College of Medicine,
Biological Sciences and Psychology
Kenneth Bancroft Clark (1914 – 2005)
Mamie Phipps Clark (1917 – 1983)
Psychologists researching children’s self-perceptions of race
Their work illustrated the psychological damage of segregation
and together with the couple’s testimony as expert witnesses in a
number of school desegregation cases played a role in the
Supreme Court decision to outlaw segregation.
Together they created the Northside Center for Child Development, which provided pediatric
and psychological treatment to the Harlem community.
Mamie Clark served as director of the Center for 33 years, while Kenneth Clark was the first
(and only) African American to be president of the American Psychological Association.
Department of Health Sciences Athena SWAN