NU Prehealth

Elizabeth Blackwell

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree, proving that women belong in spaces they were once excluded from. Despite facing rejection from multiple medical schools and discrimination during her training, she persisted and paved the way for generations of women in healthcare.
She later helped found the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, creating opportunities for women physicians and improving care for patients who were often overlooked.
Her legacy reminds us that progress in medicine often begins with someone willing to challenge the status quo.

Black History Month Spotlight: Dr. Soloman Carter Fuller

Before Alzheimer’s disease was widely recognized in American medicine, Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller was already advancing the science behind it. In the early 1900s, he worked alongside Alois Alzheimer in Germany and later helped bring that research to the United States by translating and expanding upon it. His work laid part of the foundation for how we understand neurodegenerative disease today.

At a time when opportunities for Black physicians in academic medicine were extremely limited, Dr. Fuller built a career in psychiatry and neuropathology, mentored future physicians, and quietly shaped the future of neuroscience.

Vivien Thomas (1910–1985) – Pioneering surgical researcher behind modern heart surgery for infants.

Vivien Thomas was a Black medical researcher and surgical innovator who played a crucial role in developing the procedure that treated “blue baby syndrome” (a congenital heart defect that prevents proper oxygenation of blood). Although he was not allowed to attend medical school at the time because of racial barriers and financial hardship, his laboratory skill and anatomical expertise were so advanced that surgeons relied on him to design and practice complex heart operations.
Working at Johns Hopkins, he helped create the surgical techniques that later became the foundation of pediatric cardiac surgery. For many years he did not receive full recognition or equal pay despite doing work at the level of a surgeon and educator. Eventually, his contributions were formally honored, and he became a symbol of perseverance and brilliance in medicine.

First-Year Friday is THIS week

We’re so excited to host all first-year PMPH students for breakfast, convos, and getting to know the Pre-Med & Pre-Health community. Come meet ambassadors, ask questions, and start building your circle early. See you at Hayden 101!

Black History Month Spotlight: Mary Eliza Mahoney

Mary Eliza Mahoney is widely recognized as the first professionally trained and licensed Black nurse in the United States. She graduated in 1879 from the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston after completing an extremely rigorous nursing program that only a small fraction of students finished.
At a time when both racism and sexism severely limited opportunities, Mahoney built a respected career as a private nurse, known for her professionalism, compassion, and advocacy for patient dignity. Beyond bedside care, she also worked to fight discrimination in the nursing field and became one of the first members of the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada (which later became the American Nurses Association).

Black History Month Spotlight: Dr. James McCune Smith

This Black History Month, we’re celebrating James McCune Smith, the first African American to earn a medical degree and someone who used both medicine and science to fight racism. When U.S. schools shut him out, he went to Scotland, graduated at the top of his class, and came back to New York to care for his community and challenge racist ideas with real data and research. He believed knowledge could be a form of activism, and his work helped pave the way for future generations of Black physicians, scholars, and leaders. Let’s celebrate his legacy and keep pushing for equity in healthcare and beyond.

The PreMed/PreHealth Advising Office is hosting the Health Professions School and Resource Fair on Saturday, February 7, 2026, from 12:00-2:30pm in the Curry Student Center. ALL Northeastern students and alumni interested in health professions are welcome. With over 40 exhibitors, attendees can network with admissions professionals and learn about research opportunities.

Check our website for more information on the Health Professions Conference.

Attention all PRE MED huskies, need MCAT Prep help? Attend SFSU’s MCAT Workshop 1/26 at 3 PM EST for information.

Link in bio 🔗

📍1/14: 310 Renaissance Park @12 PM !!!

A welcome week event for students to connect with the PreMed PreHealth Advising team. Stop by to grab a snack, meet other PMPH students, and say hello to the advising team!

HPC Registration Slots has now been FILLED!
Register for the Waitlist (link in bio 👀