AMS Member Firsts
Dr. Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH
Dr. Adams has served in numerous leadership roles in medicine and public health, including Indiana State Health Commissioner and United States Surgeon General. His work has focused on public health advocacy, preventive care, and addressing health disparities in underserved communities.
Dr. Paul A. Batties
Dr. Batties became the first Black surgeon at Wishard Hospital, now Eskenazi Health.
Dr. Mary Bush
Practicing in Indianapolis, Dr. Bush was the first Black OB/GYN Resident at Methodist Hospital.
Dr. Virginia A. Caine, MD
Dr. Caine became the first African American physician to serve as Director of the Marion County Public Health Department and later became the first African American President of the American Public Health Association. Her leadership has had a profound impact on health equity, minority health outcomes, and community-based public health initiatives.
Dr. Sumner Furniss
Dr. Furniss was the first Black intern at Indianapolis City Hospital, now Eskenazi Health. He later became the hospital’s first Black staff physician.
Dr. Valerie Gathers, MD
Dr. Gathers has been recognized for her contributions to medicine, leadership, and service within the Indianapolis medical community, helping advance opportunities for future generations of minority physicians.
Dr. Denise Johnson-Miller, MD
Dr. Johnson-Miller was the first African American woman to complete General Surgery training at the University of Illinois and Cook County Hospital in 1986. She later became the first African American woman to complete a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at City of Hope Medical Center and served on the faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Cynthia Kenner
Dr. Cynthia Kenner broke barriers as the first African American resident in the Methodist Hospital Department of Anesthesiology. Her accomplishment represented a significant step forward in expanding opportunities for underrepresented physicians within the specialty.
Dr. Frank Lloyd, Jr., MD
Dr. Lloyd served as the first African American Coroner of Marion County, representing a significant milestone in the diversification of leadership within public health and forensic medicine in Indianapolis.
Dr. Harvey N. Middleton, MD
Dr. Middleton was the first Black cardiologist at Wishard Hospital, now Eskenazi Health.
Dr. Andrew Moore
Dr. Andrew Moore made history as the first African American resident in the Department of Urology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. His achievement marked an important milestone in the department’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, helping to pave the way for future generations of underrepresented physicians in urology.
Dr. Raymond Pierce, Jr., MD
Dr. Pierce was the first Black physician to serve as Chair of the Wishard Hospital Foundation and the first Black physician to serve as Vice Chair of the Indiana University Medical Center Department of Orthopedics.
Dr. George H. Rawls, MD
Dr. Rawls was the first Black physician to serve as President of both the Indianapolis Medical Society and the Indiana State Medical Association. Following his surgical career at Methodist Hospital, he became the first Black Assistant Dean at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Dr. Edward Ross, MD
Dr. Ross was the first Black Internal Medicine Resident at Indiana University Medical Center in 1964. He later became the first Black Cardiology Fellow, the first Chief Fellow, and the first Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at IUMC.
Dr. Arthur Sumrall, MD
Dr. Sumrall is recognized as one of the first African American dermatologists in Indianapolis. His pioneering work expanded access to specialty dermatologic care and helped open doors for future generations of minority physicians.
Dr. Patricia Treadwell, MD
Dr. Treadwell is a respected physician leader and advocate for health equity whose career has significantly shaped public health and organized medicine in Indianapolis. Through her work with the Marion County Public Health Department and the Aesculapian Medical Society, she has advanced initiatives addressing health disparities.
Dr. Eric A. Yancy, MD
Dr. Eric A. Yancy is a highly respected pediatrician in Indianapolis who dedicated nearly five decades to caring for children, particularly those from underserved communities. After earning his medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine in 1976, he moved to Indianapolis and became the first Black pediatric resident in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Riley Hospital for Children.
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