Press Releases

Black History Month is a time to honour the achievements of global Black leaders and all of their contributions throughout history in industry, politics, science, culture and more. The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.

The theme of the 2022 Black History Month, “Black Health and Wellness,” explores "the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing throughout the African Diaspora.

In this regard, the ACS joins the Caribbean and American African diaspora in recognising the work of Dr. Velma Scantlebury who was born in Barbados and is the first black female transplant surgeon in America . She is currently the Associate director of the Kidney Transplant Program at Christiana Care in Delaware. With more than 200 live donor kidney transplants executed during her career, she holds extensive research credit in African American kidney donation.

We likewise highlight the work Dr. Kathie-Ann P. Joseph, born in Jamaica. She is the Director of Breast Services at Bellevue Hospital. Dr. Joseph graduated from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1995 specializing in general surgery. She is the first black woman to be appointed to the Department of Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center (NYPH/Columbia). Dr. Joseph has made significant contributions to breast cancer research and treatment and has studied how race affects health.

The ACS joins the world community in celebrating  the prolific and invaluable contribution of the African Diaspora to society in general and the medical field in particular to the benefit of global and black health and wellness.