Celebrating Black History Month
A look at research initiatives in diseases
disproportionately impacting minorities

February 2006

The roots of Black History Month can be traced to Carter Woodson, a historian and educator, who was born in 1875 to former slaves and spent his childhood working in the coal mines of Kentucky. The second African-American to earn a doctorate from Harvard, Dr. Woodson was disturbed by the dearth of information in historical texts about the role of the American black population in this country’s evolution. He set his sights on changing that by establishing a national association and journal dedicated to African-American life and history and, in 1926, by launching what we today know as Black History Month.

About establishing this program, Dr. Woodson said, “What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.”

The Medical College of Georgia shares Dr. Woodson’s vision, particularly as it relates to the health and well being of the diverse populations we serve. We are troubled by alarming disparities in health status, particularly among African-Americans and Hispanics. That’s why so many MCG researchers are conducting cutting-edge research on diseases and conditions that disproportionately impact minority and underserved populations across the state of Georgia. Join us in celebrating some of the good work of MCG researchers to ensure better health for all Georgians.

Select MCG Researchers and Their Work

• Dr. Robert J. Adams has conducted groundbreaking work on the role of transfusions in reducing stroke risk in children with sickle cell disease.
• Dr. Gregory A. Harshfield – This hypertension researcher is finding answers about why blacks are an increased risk for hypertension.
• Dr. C. Alvin Head – The chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine studies benefits of nitric oxide in the treatment of sickle cell patients.
• Dr. Dorothy Y.H. Tuan – This molecular biologist’s gene research holds great promise for sickle cell anemia treatment.
• Dr. Sally P. Weinrich – This professor in the School of Nursing works to communicate to African-American men the importance of prostate cancer screening.
• Dr. Vernon A. Barnes – This physiologist has shown how black adolescents at risk to be hypertensive adults can lower their blood pressure through daily transcendental meditation.
• Drs. Catherine L. Davis and Harold Snieder – Dr. Davis, clinical health psychologist, and Dr. Snieder, genetic epidemiologist, are exploring the role genetics play in cardiovascular risk factors for blacks and whites.
• Dr. Abdullah Kutlar – The director of MCG’s Sickle Cell Center has shown that taking the drug Hydroxyurea earlier in life may reduce the ill effects of sickle cell disease and prolong life.
• Drs. Mary D. Hughes and Shirley E. Poduslo – This neurologist and neuroscientist teamed up to look at how multiple sclerosis progresses in blacks and whites.

To learn more about MCG's initiative to increase the number of minority health care providers in Georgia visit the Office of Educational Outreach and Partnerships (EOP) website and read the article Federal grant to expand MCG pipeline programs for minorities.

Read more MCG Science and Medical news.

(February 2006). Celebrating Black History Month, A look at research initiatives in diseases disproportionately impacting minorities. (MCG Homepage Feature)

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