A History of Diversity
New York Medical College (NYMC) prides itself on its longstanding legacy of diversity and inclusion. In 1928, the College became the first predominately majority medical institution in the nation to establish a scholarship program specifically for diverse students (the Walter Gray Crump Sr., M.D., Scholarship); and its inaugural recipient was Myra Adele Logan, M.D., Class of 1933, who was the first woman to perform open heart surgery and one of the first African American woman elected a fellow to the American College of Surgeons.
During the same time, when most United States medical schools imposed an anti-Semitic admissions quota, NYMC welcomed Jewish students into its classrooms. We opened a medical school exclusively for female students in 1863, when New York State barred women as physicians in hospitals until the early 1900s. Championed by many firsts, we continue to foster an environment that celebrates the richness of diverse perspectives and backgrounds, embodying a commitment to inclusivity that is echoed throughout our storied history. We know that diverse perspectives and backgrounds in both academia and health care improve the health of people everywhere.
Diversity at NYMC Timeline
1863
Formation of New York Medical College for Women in Response to Gender Barriers
As New York State barred women as physicians in hospitals, a separate but related institution, known as the New York Medical College for Women, is founded by Clemence Sophia Lozier, staffed and supervised by the College’s male faculty. Maria C. Ewen serves as first president of the women's college board.
1867
First Female Canadian Physician Graduates
New York Medical College for Women graduates the first female Canadian physician, Dr. Emily Stowe, who had previously been refused admission to every medical school in her native Canada.
1870
College's First Hispanic Faculty Member and Independence Advocate
The first Hispanic faculty member of the College was Dr. Adolfo Varona, professor of histology. Born in Cuba, he was involved in the Cuban independence movement against Spain.
1870
New York's First African-American Female Physician Graduates Top of Her Class at NYMC
Susan McKinney Steward, the first African-American female physician in New York State, and the third in the nation, graduates as valedictorian from New York Medical College for Women.
1876
First Hispanic Student Graduates and Fights for Cuban Freedom
The first Hispanic graduate of the College was Francisco Felix Mendoza, M.D., Class of 1867, of Cuba. Dr. Mendoza went on to practice in Havana and was involved in the movement for Cuban independence from Spain. In 1902, he was one of the first consular staff of the newly independent Republic of Cuba and was later posted in Tampa, Florida, where he also practiced medicine.
1888
First Black Male Graduate and Future Bahamas Diplomat
Alonzo Potter Burgess Holley, a Haitian émigré and a graduate of the University of Cambridge, becomes the first black student to graduate from the College, later becoming the Haitian Consul to the Bahamas.
1894
The Dean of Harlem Physicians
Eugene Percy Roberts, M.D., graduated from New York Medical College in 1894 and practiced in New York City for over fifty years, mentoring a generation of Black M.D.s and earning the nickname “The Dean of Harlem Physicians.” In 1917, he became the first Black member of the New York City Board of Education.
1920
NYMC's First Asian American Graduate
Kanzo Oguri, M.D., Class 1920, was the first Asian American graduate at NYMC. First-generation Japanese American Dr. Oguri interned at the Metropolitan Hospital, where he met his wife and started a family practice in Brooklyn.
1928
Launch of Nation’s First Underrepresented Scholarship Program
Created through the efforts of civil rights champion Walter Gray Crump, M.D. Class of 1895, an alumnus and surgeon who was also trustee of Tuskegee Institute and Howard University, the College establishes a scholarship program aimed at supporting African American medical students at New York Medical College--the first such scholarship in the nation at a predominantly white medical school. Myra Adele Logan, M.D. ’1933, is the first recipient, followed by Geraldine Burton Branch, M.D. ‘1936.
1943
Alumna Becomes First Woman to Perform Open-Heart Surgery
A Tuskegee, Alabama, native, Myra Adele Logan, M.D. ’1933, was the first woman to perform open heart surgery and the first African American woman elected a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She was the first person to receive the Walter Gray Crump minority scholarship that allowed her to attend New York Medical College.
1955
An Alumnus Becomes a Founding Dean
Marcus D. Kogel, M.D., Class of 1927, becomes the founding dean of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University.
1957
U.S. Medical School's First Japanese American Chair and Surgical Innovator
First Japanese American to chair a department at a U.S. medical school, George Nagamatsu, M.D., Class of 1934, professor and chair of urology (1957-1972), created the surgical technique Nagamatsu Dorsolumbar Flap Incision in 1948.
1961
Cohen Research Building Opens
The Sophie D. and William W. Cohen Research Building opened next to the College, starting its basic science research. The bequest to establish the Cohen Research Building was given specifically because NYMC is an institution that did not discriminate against Jewish students or faculty.
1967
Highest Ranked African American Woman at a Nationally Recognized Medical Institution
Jane Cooke Wright, M.D. '45, a prominent cancer researcher, is named associate dean at the College. At a time when African American women physicians numbered only a few hundred in the United States, Dr. Wright is the highest ranked African American woman at a nationally recognized medical institution.
1973
First Associate Dean for Minority Affairs
Growing up in the Bronx, Puerto Rican NYMC alumnus Gilbert Ortiz, M.D. ’60, went on to serve on the faculty of NYMC, where he was appointed Associate Dean for Minority Affairs in 1973. He was one of the founders of the Latino Medical Student Association.
1976
Japanese Fetal Lung Maturation Pioneer is First NYMC SOM Associate Dean for Westchester Medical Center
Born and raised in Japan, Yutaka Kikkawa, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pathology (1976-1988), was the first to demonstrate the nature of Type II lung cells and lung surfactants, which saves newborns from respiratory distress syndrome. He received a commendation by the White House for his research achievements, and his pioneering works are Citations Classics in medicine. In 1980, he was additionally appointed as the first NYMC School of Medicine associate dean for Westchester Medical Center.
1977
NYMC’s First Female President
Kathleen C. Morton, M.D., served as president from 1977-1978 and was the institution's first female president. Originally from the United Kingdom, Dr. Morton practiced pediatrics in the eastern part of the state of Washington. Prior to coming to the College, Dr. Morton served on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine from 1971 to 1977, becoming the first woman named dean of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1975.
2014
NYMC Hosts 'Deadly Medicine' Exhibition: Exploring Eugenics and Nazi Race Science
The summer of 2014 saw the College host the United States Memorial Holocaust Museum traveling exhibition, “Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race." The exhibition traces this history from the early 20th-century international eugenics movement to the Nazi regime’s "science of race." It also challenges viewers to reflect on present-day interest in genetic manipulation that promotes the possibility of human perfection. Produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the exhibit is made possible by The Lerner Foundation and Eric F. and Lore Ross, with additional support from the Lester Robbins and Sheila Johnson Robbins Traveling and Special Exhibitions Fund.
2021
NYC Health + Hospitals / Metropolitan Celebrated as Nation’s Most Inclusive Hospital
An affiliate of NYMC for more than 140 years, NYC Health + Hospitals / Metropolitan is named Nation’s Most Inclusive Hospital out of more than 3,000 hospitals.
2023
NYMC's LGBTQIA+ Emergency Medicine Conference Draws National Participation
The Office of Graduate Medical Education and the New York Medical College (NYMC)-sponsored Emergency Medicine Residency at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan and NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem hosted their first regional LGBTQIA+ emergency medicine conference virtually on April 5, drawing hundreds of participants from across the country.
