Dr. JoAnne Rogers
Dr. JoAnn Rogers, 2000
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, JoAnne Rogers was exposed to several physicians (and their wives) who served the community. Amongst these was a social club of African-American families of distinction called The Co-Ettes, Inc. The club held teas, brunches, talent shows and educational programs to teach the girls ho to conduct themselves African-American women of education and privilege. Several of her fellow Co-Ettes were children of Houston's African-American physicians.
During her junior year in high school, Dr. Rogers spent six weeks in Israel and lived on a kibbutz in the Negev desert. She was one of the ten original students selected for the Mickey Leland Kibbutz Internship Program. After attending The Vanguard School, she went on to Emory University in Atlanta and majored in both Biology and Psychology. She was first accepted for medical school at Texas A&M University, but decided to attend the University of Texas Medical School in San Antonio. While in medical school, she also participated in a research fellowship program during her junior year at Johns Hopkins Medical campus for the National Institutes of Health in Baltimore.
Dr. Rogers later completed a residency in Family Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and is board certified in this field. Currently, she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians due to her medical achievements and role in the Houston community. Additionally, she has the honor of being the first African-American female Harris County Medical Society Board member--having served over eight years as an active member/officer in the largest county medical society in the United States.
Dr. Rogers was just one of a few African-Americans physicians in her medical school and residency program. This fact, along with the vast community support she received directly from African-American physicians, teachers and politicians, motivated her to become more active in the community as a fellow citizen, physician, teacher and leader. She chose a career in Family Medicine to broadly serve her patients on various levels as well as to serve her community.
Dr. Rogers is president of the Houston Medical Forum. She believes that her participation with the HMF allows her to harness the energy among African-American physician-leaders in educating the community about impending health issues as well as empowering African-American medical students to complete their medical education.
Next Biography: Dr. Thomas Shadowens
Return to: Women Leading Professional Organizations