Alexa Canady facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexa Canady
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Alexa Irene Canady
November 7, 1950 Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
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| Education | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Pediatric neurosurgeon, educator |
| Years active | 1981–2012 |
| Known for | The first black woman to become a neurosurgeon |
Dr. Alexa Irene Canady was born on November 7, 1950. She is a retired American medical doctor who specialized in brain and nervous system surgery for children. In 1981, she made history by becoming the first Black woman to become a neurosurgeon. This was a big step forward, following Ruth Kerr Jakoby who became the first American woman to be certified in neurosurgery in 1961.
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Growing Up and School Days
Alexa Irene Canady was born in Lansing, Michigan. Her mother, Elizabeth Hortense Canady, was a teacher and a leader in a sorority called Delta Sigma Theta. She was also the first African American elected to the Lansing Board of Education. Alexa's father, Dr. Clinton Canady, Jr., was a dentist.
Alexa and her younger brother grew up near Lansing, Michigan. They were often the only African-American students in their school. Their parents taught them that education and hard work were very important. This helped Alexa graduate from high school with high honors. Her mother once told her to use any challenge to her advantage.
Alexa faced some unfair treatment in school. Once, a family member tested her intelligence. They were surprised when she scored very high, because her school grades were just average. They later found out her teacher had been switching her test scores with another student to hide how smart she was.
Despite these challenges, Alexa did very well in school. She graduated with honors from Lansing Sexton High School in 1967.
College Years
Before college, Alexa Canady was recognized as a National Achievement Scholar in 1967. She went to the University of Michigan. There, she earned her science degree in zoology in 1971. She also became a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
She first planned to study math, but soon realized it wasn't her true passion. Then, she learned about a program for minority students interested in health careers. This program helped her discover her love for medicine.
She went on to get her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1975. She graduated with high honors and joined a special medical society. She was also recognized by the American Medical Women's Association.
Even with her achievements, Alexa felt that female students were sometimes ignored by professors. This only made her work even harder. She first thought about internal medicine, but then fell in love with neurology. She decided to become a neurosurgeon, even though her advisors suggested other paths. Knowing it would be tough to get a residency as a Black student, Alexa worked hard to build her experience. She read many articles and went to every medical conference she could.
Internship and Residency
From 1975 to 1976, she was a surgical intern at Yale-New Haven Hospital. An intern is a doctor who is still training. Even though she was a great student, she faced unfair comments. She was the first Black woman intern in the program. On her first day, someone told her she must be their "equal-opportunity package." Despite these comments, her fellow doctors voted her one of the top residents.
After her internship, she went to the University of Minnesota for her residency. A residency is a longer training period in a specific medical field. She became the first African-American woman to be a neurosurgery resident in the United States.
Career and Research
In 1982, after finishing her residency, Dr. Canady chose to specialize in pediatric neurosurgery. This meant she would operate on the brains and nervous systems of children. She became the first African-American and the first woman to do this. She loved working with children in the hospital. She said, "it never ceased to amaze me how happy the children were." She was known for caring deeply about her patients. She even played video games with them!
She worked for a short time at Henry Ford Hospital. Then, she moved to the Children's Hospital of Michigan. In 1984, she became the first African-American woman to be a board-certified neurosurgeon. This means she passed special exams to show she was an expert. In 1987, she became the Chief of Neurosurgery at the Children's Hospital of Michigan. She held this important job until she partly retired in 2001.
At first, she worried about how her colleagues would accept her. But she quickly earned their respect because she focused so much on her patients. She once said, "It’s fun to make people better."
While at the Children's Hospital of Michigan, Dr. Canady also did research with Wayne State University. She was also a Professor of Neurosurgery there. Her hard work and achievements have opened doors for many surgeons of all backgrounds.
From 2001 until her full retirement in 2012, Dr. Canady worked part-time. She was a surgeon and consultant at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. When she first moved to Pensacola, she thought she was retired. But after meeting local doctors, she realized there was a need for a pediatric neurosurgeon. So, she decided to join the hospital staff part-time.
Dr. Canady continues to support her profession and encourage diversity in medicine.
Personal Life
In 1988, Alexa Canady married George Davis. He was a recruiter for the U.S. Navy.
Interesting Facts About Alexa Canady
- Her time at the University of Michigan was not always easy. At one point, she almost quit college because she lost confidence in herself.
- Dr. Canady was known for being a surgeon who truly cared about each of her patients.
- Canady has said that she doesn't like getting attention or being famous. She believes that doing good work is what truly matters.
- Dr. Canady said she wasn't focused on making history at the time. It wasn't until 2001 that she realized how important her achievements were for other African Americans and women in medicine.
Alexa Canady Quotes
- "The greatest challenge I faced in becoming a neurosurgeon was believing it was possible."
- "People are just not very ambitious for women still. Your son you want to be the best he can be. Your daughter you want to be happy."
- "... somewhere in your life there has to be a passion. There has to be some desire to go forward. If not, why live?"
Awards and Honors
- Canady was added to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 1989.
- She received the American Medical Women's Association President's Award in 1993.
- In 1994, she received the Distinguished Service Award from Wayne State University Medical School.
- In 1984, the Children's Hospital of Michigan named her Teacher of the Year.
- She received a Candace Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women in 1986.
- She is a member of several important medical groups, including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
- She has also received three special honorary degrees:
- Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Detroit-Mercy in 1997.
- Doctor of Science from the University of Southern Connecticut in 1999.
- Doctor of Humane Letters from Roosevelt University in 2014.
- In February 2015, Nickelodeon featured her in a Black History Month cartoon. It celebrated her achievement as the first African-American woman neurosurgeon.
See Also
In Spanish: Alexa Canady para niños
