Degree(s): Doctor of Medicine
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Undergraduate Institution: N/A
Undergraduate Institution: New England Female Medical College
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Photo Credit: NIH History Office
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first Black woman to become a medical doctor in the United States. After earning her medical degree in 1864, Dr. Crumpler began practicing in Boston, where her primary patients were poor women and children. She later worked for the Freedmen’s Bureau, where she provided medical treatment to freed slaves. Dr. Crumpler publication, Book of Medical Discourses, is also considered one of the first medical publications authored by a Black person.
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