Women Leading Professional Organizations (1981-2002, Section 7)
Dr. Jones is sworn in as the first female president of the NMA, 1985. (Courtesy of Dr. Edith Irby Jones)
As the twentieth century drew to a close, female black physicians made inroads in professional organizations. In 1984, Dr. Edith Irby Jones, who first garnered national attention when she broke the color barrier at the University of Arkansas College of Medicine in 1948, made new headlines when she was elected as the first female president of the National Medical Association (NMA). In her inaugural address to the NMA, Dr. Jones observed, “We have the comfort of knowing that our work is not to make a living but to make a life, not just for ourselves or a select few, but life with its fullness for all, and especially providing the access to health care, which is our special charge.”
In 1986 Houston honored her with Edith Irby Jones Day, in 1988 she was named American Society of Medicine Internist of the Year, and in 1998 the ambulatory center at the former Southeast Memorial Hospital was named in her honor. Dedicated to improving health care in the world’s impoverished areas, she helped to establish Dr. Edith Irby Jones Clinics in Vera Cruz, Mexico and Vaudreuil, Haiti.
Dr. L. Natalie Carroll, 2000 (Courtesy of Dr. L. Natalie Carroll)
In 1981, Dr. L. Natalie Carroll, a nationally known obstetrician and gynecologist became the first woman to serve as president of the Houston Medical Forum. She followed in Dr. Jones’s footsteps as NMA president in 2002. Dr. Carroll has been active board member of several organizations that address the health and welfare of women and children. She received the March of Dimes Outstanding Service Award.
Dr. JoAnn Rogers, c. 2000 (Courtesy of the Houston Medical Forum)
Dr. JoAnne Rogers and Dr. June Colman now serve as President and Vice President of the Houston Medical Forum, respectively. Dr. Joye Carter is a past president of the HMF.