Rebecca Lee Crumpler
The first African American woman to earn a medical degree
The cover of a medical book written by Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler. (From the U.S. National Library of Medicine)
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler worked as a nurse for almost 10 years before becoming the first African American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Crumpler worked as a nurse and physician in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Crumpler, who received her medical degree in 1864, focused her practice on women and children. In 1883, she published what is believed to be the first medical text written by an African American author. The book addressed the treatment and prevention of diseases in women and children.
The native of Delaware died in 1895. She was 64.