To celebrate the major accomplishments of African-American surgeons, the IU Ruth Lilly Medical Library on the Indiana University School of Medicine campus in Indianapolis is featuring a traveling exhibit of trailblazers in modern medical surgery titled “Opening Doors: Contemporary African-American Academic Surgeons.” The exhibit is open to the public now through Nov. 7 free of charge.
The exhibit highlights the work of four academic surgeons: Alexa Canady, the first African-American woman pediatric neurosurgeon; LaSalle Leffall Jr., cancer surgeon and the first African-American president of the American College of Surgeons and the American Cancer Society; Claude Organ Jr., general surgeon and the first African-American to chair a department of surgery at a predominantly white medical school; and Rosalyn Scott, the first African-American woman cardiothoracic surgeon.
Several panels with splashes of green, orange, red and blue showcase the work of these individuals through photos and text.
“Opening Doors” was developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine — the largest medical library in the world — and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture.
Sue London, research librarian at the IU School of Medicine, said it was important to bring the exhibit to their campus because the school’s office of diversity is committed to a diverse faculty and student population. The close proximity and historical significance of Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School also plays a role in why the exhibit is on display.
“The purpose is to get kids interested in medicine, health science or sciences in general,” said London. “I’m hoping they will be inspired and say, ‘This person came from a not-so-good background like myself and they managed to work their way up into an important position.’”
She hopes the display will attract more African-Americans to the field.
“Opening Doors” debuted in 2007 and has since been in high demand at places all over the U.S. Large numbers of inquiries came in within the first couple of years; today the exhibit is completely booked through 2017.
The idea for the exhibit sparked during Black History Month, when the National Library of Medicine staff discovered many of its current exhibits did not display academic medicine and African-Americans, said Jill Newmark, exhibit curator at the National Library of Medicine.
“We chose academic surgeons because they are surgeons but they’re also educators. All of the surgeons in the exhibits all want to give back and pass the torch,” said Newmark. “It’s about encouraging especially minorities and women to go into the field of academic surgery. If you can’t see yourself in someone else’s reflection, sometimes you don’t realize your potential.”
“Opening Doors: Contemporary African-American Academic Surgeons” is open from 7 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday; 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturdays; and noon–5 p.m. Sundays.
For more information, visit Nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/aframsurgeons.
