The Howard University College of Medicine opened its doors 150 years ago today in Washington, D.C. The school was opened in response to a growing need for professional health care in the region after the U.S. Civil War and just one year after Howard University itself was founded.
With the influx of Black residents coming to the north for opportunity, the medical college would soon become a hub of some of the greatest Black medical minds. On November 9, 1868, the school opened with eight students and five faculty members. The dean of the school was Howard University co-founder Dr. Silas Loomis, a white man. Dr. Alexander Augusta served on the faculty and was reportedly the first African-American to do so.
The college boasts well over 4,000 living alumni in its numbers, and the institution has put forth a significant amount of Black health professionals out across the nation and the world.
Dr. Hugh E. Mighty was named the 18th dean of the College of Medicine in 2015. Previously, Dr. Mighty was the Vice Chancellor for Clinical affairs at Louisiana State University. The school averages over 450 students and over 260 professors annually.
PHOTO: Howard University
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