The Top 21: Our List of Outstanding Black Doctors

Dr. Charles Modlin is an accomplished kidney transplant surgeon, one of only 17 African- Americans to hold this title.  He is also a urologist.  He founded and directs the Minority Men’s Health Center associated with Cleveland Clinic.  The center conducts community outreach and oversees research focused on eliminating minority health disparities.  Dr. Modlin has won several awards for his efforts including the National Technical Association’s 2006 National Physician of the Year Award, the 2007 Cleveland Greater Cleveland Partnership MLK Community Service Award and the 2000 MOTTEP Man of the Year Award.

Dr. Harold P. Freeman has been working to improve minority health for several decades.  In 1979 he established two free breast and cervical cancer screening centers in Harlem to improve the chances of early detection.  He also authored the landmark report, Cancer in the Economically Disadvantaged, which connected the dots between poverty and cancer mortality.  From 1988 to 1989 he served as national president of the American Cancer Society and helped launch the Initiative on Cancer and the Poor.   He is founder and president of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in New York.  Dr. Freeman pioneered the “Patient Navigation Program” which addresses disparities in access to treatment, particularly among poor and uninsured people.  This program was the model for the Patient Navigator and Chronic Disease Prevention Act signed into law by President Bush in June 2005.

Dr. Keith Black is a world-renowned neurosurgeon, scientist and leading researcher in the field of cancer treatment.  In 2007 he opened the  Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Brain Tumor Center at Cedars-Sinai, a research center named after his former patient.  Time magazine included him in their list of “Heroes of Medicine”,  describing him as a surgeon who would operate on tumors other doctors shied away from. In 2009 Black published his autobiography entitled Brain Surgeon.

Dr. Wesley L. Hicks Jr. wears several hats at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI): Professor of Oncology;  Professor of the Department of Head & Neck/Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Director of Head & Neck Surgical Fellowship Program.  The multi-talented physician also holds a degree in dentistry.   He was recently added to the 2011 list of America’s Top Doctors compiled by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.

Once upon a time Dr. Alexa Canady didn’t think she was cut out for college.  She contemplated dropping out as an undergraduate. But she found the courage to not only complete her degree, but continue on to medical school, eventually graduating cum laude from University of Michigan’s Medical School. She emerged as an exceptional physician and became the first African American woman in the US to become a neurosurgeon specializing in hydrocephalus, congenital spine abnormalities, skull abnormalities and brain and spinal tumors.

Dr. Patricia Bath is an ophthalmologist with a historic career.   She’s recognized as the first black American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose.  Granted in 1988 the patent covered an “apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lenses,” a version of a device designed to  remove cataracts with a fiber-optic laser. Because of her invention sight has been restored for countless people, some of whom had experienced blindness for as much as three decades.  The Harlem native has held positions at Howard University, St. George’s University in Grenada and UCLA.

Dr. Matthias Okoye is a medical professional and prominent legal mind.  He is currently director of forensic pathology for Pathology Medical Services, a private consulting firm based in Lincoln, NE.  He’s also president and CEO of the law firm Okoye & Associates.  Dr. Okoye is a member of the National Association of Medical Examiners and a fellow of the College of American Pathologists.  As a respected contributor to both the medical and legal professions he has lectured and published extensively in the fields of forensic sciences, legal medicine, forensic medicine and pathology.

Dr. Michael L. Parks is an accomplished orthopedic surgeon who has gained an impeccable reputation for performing minimally invasive total joint replacements, knee and hip revision surgery and alternative procedures including partial knee replacements and arthroscopic surgery of the knee.  The Duke University alum earned his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina before returning to Duke to complete his residency. Since he began practicing medicine Dr. Parks has made Castle Connolly’s list of top doctors and been recognized in publications such as The Network Journal, New York Times, and Money Magazine.

Dr. Charles Cruthfield III has found himself on several lists of “top doctors”, and for good reason.  The accomplished dermatologist  literally co-wrote the book on skin problems,  “A Clinical Atlas of 101 Common Skin Diseases”.  He graduated from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine with both a masters degree in molecular biology and doctoral degree  in medicine.  Among his many honors the Minnesota native has received the Mayo Clinic’s “Karis” humanitarian award.  Dr. Crutchfield remains active in medical research involving psoriasis, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and acne keloidalis nuchae.

Carolyn Barley Britton, M.D., M.S., is a highly regarded physician, considered an expert in neurovirology and infectious/inflammatory diseases of the nervous system.  She became a trailblazer in 1981 as one of the first physicians to describe the neurological complications of AIDS.  The Alabama native is also considered an authority on progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a rare viral complication.  Currently, Dr. Britton is an associate professor of clinical neurology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, and an associate attending at New York Presbyterian Medical Center.  She’s topped several lists of best doctors including those compiled by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly.

Dr. Lynne V. Perry-Böttinger is the doctor many New Yorkers trust with their heart.  She is a renowned cardiologist who’s been running a successful cardiology practice since the beginning of the millennium.   Aside from practicing she teaches at Cornell and Columbia.  Dr. Perry-Böttinger received her medical degree with honors from Yale Medical School and her cum laude A.B. in history from Harvard University.  Dr. Perry-Böttinger has continued her record of achievement appearing on lists of top physicians including those compiled by Castle Connolly, New York Magazine  and Westchester WAG magazine.

Dr. Olakunle Akinboboye is considered one of the best in the world of cardiovascular medicine.  He was included in Castle Connolly’s list of top doctors in the New York metro area.  Now a nuclear cardiologist, Dr. Akinboboye graduated from the University of Ibadan College of Medicine before coming to the US about 20 years ago.  Soon after arrival he completed an internal medicine residency at the Nassau County Medical Center, and cardiology fellowship at the State University of New York.  He went on to Columbia University and completed another fellowship with dedicated training in nuclear cardiology and advanced echocardiolography.  Dr. Akinboboye’s medical education is also complimented by an MBA and master’s degree in public health from Columbia.

Dr. Hilda Hutcherson grew up in Tuskegee, AL at a time when African Americans were held to a different standard. When she informed a high school guidance counselor that she planned to enter the Ivy League, she was told, “You can’t do that. You’ll just fail and embarrass your parents.”  Today Dr. Hutcherson holds an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a medical degree from Harvard.  She’s also among the top physicians in the nation as according to Black Enterprise and Castle Connoly.  She currently serves as Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Associate Dean for Diversity and Minority Affairs at Columbia.  Dr. Hutcherson is also the author of three books: Having Your Baby: A Guide for African American Women; What Your Mother Never Told You About Sex and Pleasure; and A Woman’s Guide to Getting the Sex You Want, Need and Deserve.

Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall was born and raised in segregated Florida.  His mother and father encouraged him to pursue higher education, constantly holding up  “education as the great equalizer”.  It proved true as Leffall used his education to blaze trails for others.  He served as the first African American president of the American College of Surgeons in 1979, and the first African American President of the American Cancer Society in 1978.  He holds eleven honorary degrees and  was tapped by George W. Bush in 2002 to chair the President’s Cancer Panel.  Dr. Leffall currently chairs the board of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Dr. Rosalyn P. Scott is a ground-breaking thoracic surgeon.  She is the first African American woman to be trained in this speciality.  Among her other firsts are the first Mary A. Fraley Fellow at the Texas Heart Institute and first African American woman to be granted membership in the Society of University Surgeons.  She was the founding member of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, as well as the founding member of the Association of Black Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons.  Born in Newark, NJ she didn’t have to travel far for medical inspiration. She was raised in a medical family.  Her father was a dentist and her uncle was a surgeon.  Dr. Scott’s training came early on.  Each Saturday she helped in her father’s office by sterilizing instruments.  Her formal training however, came from the New York University School of Medicine where she graduated in 1974.  Currently she is Professor of Surgery and Chief of Surgical Services at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton, OH.

Dr. Velma Scantlebury is a trailblazer in addition to being a brilliant surgeon.  As the first African American woman transplant surgeon in the country, she’s used her expertise to spread knowledge about her field within the black community.  She is associate director of the Kidney Transplant Program in Delaware at Christiana Care Health System.  Over the years she has performed more than 1,000 transplants.  As an advocate and educator, she’s expanded her reach beyond the classroom and become a spokesperson for Linkages to Life, an initiative to encourage African American organ donation.  Dr. Scantlebury has served on the board for the American Society of Minority Health and Transplant Professionals.  She received her medical degree from Columbia University and completed her internship and residency at Harlem Hospital Center in New York.  She has also been recognized as one of the best doctors in America by BestDoctors.com.

Dr. Claudia L. Thomas broke new ground at Yale University.  She was the first woman graduate of the Yale Orthopaedic Program.  While serving as an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at Johns Hopkins she helped recruit the largest number of minorities ever to train in orthopaedics at the school.  Dr. Thomas is currently a partner in the Tri-County Orthopaedic Center in Leesburg, FL.  Dr. Thomas received her medical degree at Johns Hopkins and completed a trauma fellowship at the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services at the University of Maryland. She recently added author to her resume, penning an autobiography, God Spare Life, about her struggle to break boundaries.

Dr. L.D. Britt ‘s medical career has been marked by several firsts, prestigious appointments, and a legacy of community service.  He is the first African-American to achieve the position of professor of surgery in the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is the executive director of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, as well as a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons.  Dr. Britt is a leader in academic surgery and has received numerous awards for his contributions to medical education, including the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Educator Award.  The graduate of Harvard’s Medical School and School of Public Health has also worked in the community.  His work in this area earned him the NAACP Man of the Year Award and an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Levi Watkins, M.D., is a professor of surgery and associate dean at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; the first black man to hold these posts.  His remarkable journey started in Alabama. As a son of the south, Watkins was exposed to racial injustices and to the early civil rights movement, both of which had lasting effects. He went on to become a history maker.  Dr. Watkins was the first black student admitted to Vanderbilt University Medical School in Tennessee.  From there he went on to Hopkins for his surgical residency in 1970.  Years later he joined the admissions committee of the medical school and thereafter minority representation increased 400 percent.  Dr. Watkins’ interest in worldwide human rights led him to start the annual Martin Luther King commemoration at Hopkins in 1982, a tradition that continues.  In January 2010, he was appointed co-chair of Balitmore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s transition team for Health and Human Services.  In April 2010 Dr. Watkins received the Thurgood Marshall College Fund award for excellence in medicine.

Dr. Regina Benjamin is America’s doctor. She is the 18th Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service.  Dr. Benjamin managed to develop a medical career that never lost it’s focus on service. Early on, she erected a clinic in a fishing village in Alabama to help tend to the medical needs of uninsured residents.  She earned her medical degree from the Morehouse School of Medicine and shortly after graduating began to accrue high honors for her work.  In 1995 she was the first physician under 40 and the first African-American woman to be elected to the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees.  She served as president of the American Medical Association’s Education and Research Foundation, as well as chair of the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA).  In 1998 Dr Benjamin was the United States recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights.   She also received the 2000 National Caring Award, the papal honor Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice from Pope Benedict XVI and a MacArthur Genius Award Fellowship.