May Edward Chinn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dr May Edward Chinn (Dr)
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May Edward Chinn during her years at Teacher's College, ca. 1917
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| Born | April 15, 1896 |
| Died | December 1, 1980 (aged 84) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Teachers College, Columbia University (B.S., 1921) Bellevue Hospital Medical College (M.D., 1926) |
| Occupation | Doctor physician |
| Known for | first African-American woman graduate of Bellevue Hospital Medical College |
May Edward Chinn (born April 15, 1896, died December 1, 1980) was an amazing African-American doctor. She made history as the first African-American woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical College. This school is now known as NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Chinn was also the first African-American woman to intern at Harlem Hospital. She opened her own practice to help Black patients who could not get care elsewhere. She also strongly supported early cancer checks.
Early Life and Education
May Edward Chinn was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. She grew up in New York City. Her father, William Lafayette Chinn, was born into slavery in 1852. He escaped when he was only 11 years old. Her mother, Lula Ann Evans, was born in 1876. She was an African-American woman with Chickahominy people heritage. The Chickahominy are a smaller group within the larger Algonquin tribe.
Lula Ann Evans worked as a housekeeper for a wealthy jeweler, Charles E. Tiffany. She saved enough money to send May to a boarding school. This school was called Bordentown Manual and Training Industrial School in New Jersey. May later had to return to New York for surgery on her jaw. While living with the Tiffany family, she learned about classical music. She was also taught German and French.
After Charles Tiffany passed away, his estate was sold. May and her mother moved back to New York City. May continued her education at a public school. She also took piano lessons.
May did not finish high school because her family was poor. However, she passed the entrance exam for Columbia Teachers College. She started there in 1917. May first studied music. But she changed her major to science after a bad experience with a music professor. She also received praise for a science paper she wrote. Her talent for science was noticed by her bacteriology professor, Jean Broadhurts.
By her senior year, May worked as a lab technician in a clinical pathology lab. She graduated from Columbia Teachers College in 1921. She kept working in the lab. May always loved music, too. She taught piano lessons to children. She also worked as an accompanist for the famous singer Paul Robenson for four years in the 1920s.
May Chinn was an active member of Delta Sigma Theta. In February 1921, she was one of the first women to join the Alpha Beta Chapter of this sorority. Eslanda Goode Robeson also joined with her.
Medical Training and Challenges
May Chinn went on to study medicine at Bellevue Hospital Medical College. She became the first African-American woman to graduate from there in 1926. After graduating, Dr. Chinn faced a big problem. No hospital would let her practice medicine. This was because African Americans were not allowed to have hospital residencies or research jobs in New York clinics.
The Rockefeller Institute almost offered her a research fellowship. But they changed their minds when they found out she was Black. Because of her light skin and last name, many people thought she was white or Chinese. Harlem Hospital was the only medical place in the city that offered Dr. Chinn an internship. She became the first African-American woman to intern there. She was also the first to go with paramedics on ambulance calls.
She faced another challenge when the hospital would not let her admit patients. She later told Muriel Petioni, a leader of Black women doctors, that some Black workers treated her badly. They thought she was pretending to be white. They did not want to risk their own jobs. So, Dr. Chinn started her own private practice. She saw patients in her office and did procedures in their homes. This experience led her to earn a master's degree in public health from Columbia University in 1933.
In 1940, Harlem Hospital finally gave Dr. Chinn permission to admit patients. This happened partly because Mayor Fiorello La Guardia pushed for hospitals to be more open to everyone. This push came after the Harlem Riot of 1935.
Career and Legacy
In 1944, the Strang Clinic hired Dr. Chinn to do research on cancer. She worked there for 29 years. The Society of Surgical Oncology invited her to become a member. In 1975, she started a group to encourage African-American women to go to medical school. She kept her private practice open until she was 81 years old.
Dr. May Edward Chinn passed away on December 1, 1980. She was 84 years old. She collapsed while attending a party at Columbia University for a friend. Her life showed great strength and dedication to helping others.
See also
In Spanish: May Edward Chinn para niños
