African-American Physicians’ Achievements (1981-2002, Section 5)
Dr. Bernard Harris in space, 1995.
(Courtesy of Dr. Bernard Harris)
With the gradual erosion of old barriers, African-American physicians also began to receive recognition for their achievements locally and on the national level. One attained “out-of-this-world” success. University of Houston graduate Dr. Bernard Harris was the only African-American in his class of sixty at the Texas Tech Medical School. He recalls that his biggest challenge in medical school was the same one faced by all medical students – learning a large volume of information. Upon his graduation, Dr. Harris completed a prestigious residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in 1985.
Dr. Harris returned to Houston and joined NASA in 1990 as the fifth African-American astronaut in the agency’s history. He made his first trip into space as a mission specialist aboard the Columbia in 1993. In February 1995, Dr. Harris became the first African-American to walk in space. When he viewed the earth from space, he achieved his childhood dream. “I realized how powerful dreams are,” Harris recalled. 1
Dr. Harris has received multiple honors, including, among others, an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Morehouse School of Medicine, the NASA Award of Merit, and the Award of Achievement from the Association of Black Cardiologists.
Dr. John Brady Coleman was a leading physician in Houston and chief of obstetrics and gynecology for more than three decades when he died in 1994. In addition to excellence in medicine, Dr. Coleman dedicated much of his life to issues of education. He chaired the United Negro College Fund and served on the board of regents for Texas Southern University and Texas A&M University. Dr. Coleman was an important force in Prairie Valley A&M University receiving a share of Texas’s permanent university fund.
In honor of his work, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents voted unanimously in 1988 to name PVAMU’s new library in honor of Dr. Coleman. In 1998, the Houston Community College System Board of Trustees approved a resolution that named the college's new health science center in honor of the late Dr. John Brady Coleman. 2
Perhaps, however, the greatest achievement for many African-American physicians is the acceptance and respect that they have received within the medical profession. Dr. John Clemmons observes, “I think the biggest [change] has been really the opening up of doors in terms of different institutions and qualified African-American physicians being able to go into different area and perform, and basically demonstrate that they are top notch in what they do.” 3
Citations
- Dr. Bernard Harris, interview by Kathleen Brosnan and Timothy O’Brien, 27 October 2006, audio and video recording, Houston, Texas.
- Tom Kennedy, Texas Medical Center News, “Houston Community College Names Health Science Center in Honor of Dr. John Coleman. Vol.20, No. 20. November 1, 1998; T. Don Faught, HCC Construction Under Way, Vol.20, No. 20. November 1, 1998.
- Dr. John Clemmons, interviewed by Kathleen A. Brosnan, November 13, 2006, video recording.