University at Buffalo (UB) 
Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Clinical and Translational Science InstituteAdvancing research discoveries to improve health for all
Honoring the Contributions of Black Scientists
Published February 9, 2021
Black History Month is the annual celebration of the countless achievements by African Americans. It is a time for recognizing the central role these figures played in our history, and gives us the opportunity to share and understand the impact of Black heritage and culture.
Black scientists, engineers and physicians have discovered new disease treatments and developed innovative technologies. Their achievements have contributed to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Here is just a small sample of the historically notable Black scientists who have left their mark on the world.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831-1895) was the first African American woman to earn a medical degree. She also wrote one of the country's early medical textbooks, a guide for treating diseases in women and children entitled "A Book of Medical Discourses."
Daniel Hale Williams (1856-1931) was a doctor who performed the first successful open-heart surgery — the repair of the pericardium, the thin sac that encases the heart. Williams also founded the first Black-owned hospital in the country, and co-founded the National Medical Association.
George Washington Carver (1864-1943), who was born into slavery, went on to become a famous agricultural scientist and professor at the Tuskegee Institute, a historically Black land grant university. He invented more than 300 products from the peanut plant — including soap, cosmetics and medicines — and developed methods to prevent soil depletion.
Alice Augusta Ball (1892-1916) was a chemist who developed a successful treatment for Hansen's Disease, also known as leprosy, a bacterial infection that can result in severe nerve damage if untreated.
Percy L. Julian (1899-1975) was a chemist who figured out how to make important medicines from plants, such as cortisone, steroids and birth control pills. The first major mixture he naturally produced using plants was physostigmine, which is used for treating glaucoma, a disease that causes blindness.
Charles Drew (1904-1950) was a doctor who researched blood transfusions, specifically developing better ways to store blood. One of his most notable inventions was the mobile blood donation station, later referred to as a “bloodmobile.” He also served as director of the first American Red Cross blood bank.
Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) was a mathematician whose work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was critical to the first manned space missions including the landing on the moon. Her accomplishments were the focus of the 2016 film "Hidden Figures".
Gladys Mae West (1930- present) is a mathematician known for her contributions with inventing an accurate model of the Earth which was used as the foundation for the creation of the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Click here to learn about the remarkable work of more recent Black scientists. Learn more about how UB is celebrating Black History Month with a variety of activities that highlight and bring heightened awareness and understanding to African American history and culture.