Passing the Torch: TUSM's Minority Legacy

Black History Month Lecture Series

In honor of Black History Month, Drs. Gena Carter, Isaac Bartley and Carl Reddix will join us for a lecture series on various topics.

Acts of Passion by Dr. Gena Carter in Sackler B Auditorium, February 15th, 6:00pm

Dr. Gena Carter

Dr. Gena Carter is a dynamic woman who serves her community on many different levels. After graduating from Tufts University School of Medicine, she entered a radiology residency program. Now a radiologist whose specialty is breast imaging and diagnosis, she counsels women with breast cancer. She was recently selected by the International Division of American Society to help implement a mammography screening program in China. Beyond her role of physician, Dr. Carter is a patient fighting her own battle against lupus on a personal and national level by being a part of a national scientific advisory panel for the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Disease at NIH.

Affiliated Events and News

Tufts Medical Center's Department of Human Resources and Employee Activities Committee will feature a series of events to honor Black History Month in February.
In the online exhibition "Opening Doors," the National Library of Medicine celebrates the achievements of four contemporary pioneer African American surgeons and educators who exemplify excellence in their fields and believe in continuing the journey of excellence through the education and mentoring of young African Americans pursuing medical careers.

Distinguished Alumni

Tufts School of Medicine has been privileged to graduate a host of distinguished alumni, including Dr. Donald Ray Vereen, Special Assistant to the Director for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Donald E. Wilson, the first African American dean at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and many others.

Ruth Marguerite Easterling '21 was born in Georgetown, South Carolina on February 17, 1989, but was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She received her undergraduate degree at Jackson College, a women's affiliate college of Tufts University in Medford, where she studied premedical sciences. Dr. Easterling went on to make history as the first black woman to be admitted to Tufts University School of Medicine in 1917. One of Dr. Easterling's accomplishments as a pathologist was to work with an African American physician named William Augustus Hinton to develop the Hinton test for syphilis. In 1979, the Progressive Alliance of Minority Students organization at Tufts School of Medicine established the Dr. Ruth M. Easterling Scholarship which provides minority students with financial assistance.

Tufts School of Medicine Deans

Read more about the deans at Tufts School of Medicine who have made their mark on minority affairs.

Dr. Lauro Cavazos was a Dean at Tufts School of Medicine from 1975-1980. He received a BA and MA in zoology at Texas Tech University. Dr. Cavazos served as the 10th president at Texas Tech University for eight years were he made history as the first Hispanic and first graduate of the university to hold office. He was also appointed president of the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. Dr. Cavazos served as Secretary of Education from 1998-1990 under both President Regan's and George W. Bush's Administrations. He was the first Hispanic American and the first Iowa State graduate to hold the nation's top education post.