Dr. May Edward Chinn was a physician known for her advocacy towards new methods to detect cancer. In 1926, she became the first black woman to graduate from the University of Bellevue Hospital Medical College, and the first black woman to hold an internship at Harlem Hospital. When she was banned from all New York’s hospitals like other black physicians, she personally met patients at their homes. She worked on studying cancer detection methods with George Papanicolaou, who created the Pap smear test. Throughout her career, she promoted cancer screening, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Columbia University for her work in medicine.
Dr. May Edward Chinn, PhD
Physician