College of Medicine Celebrates African-American Trailblazers
During February's celebration of Black History Month, the , with funding from the led by Dr. Renay Scales, honored two living legends and pioneers of the college.
Dr. Carl Watson broke barriers as the first African-American medical student to attend and graduate from the º£½Ç½ûÇø College of Medicine. He also completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at º£½Ç½ûÇø HealthCare. Since completing his education, he has successfully practiced medicine and serves the community of Oakland, California.
Chester Grundy, a notable Kentucky native who continues to make significant impact in the Lexington community, was also honored at the event. Grundy graduated from º£½Ç½ûÇø in 1969. During his time at º£½Ç½ûÇø he took part in the movement that established the º£½Ç½ûÇø Black Student Union. Grundy continued his work at º£½Ç½ûÇø and was appointed as an advisor to former dean of the College of Medicine, Dr. Frederick C. de Beer, from 2012 to 2016. During his tenure, he continued to advocate for underrepresented minorities in the College of Medicine and helped to establish º£½Ç½ûÇøâ€™s chapter of the Student National Medical Society (SNMA). FCN celebrated the paths these two men blazed at º£½Ç½ûÇø and through various programs aims to keep their legacies alive and promote diversity in medicine.
FCN was established in December 2018, and is dedicated to contributing to the campus community in a meaningful way. They are committed to scholarship and professional development through mentorship, leadership opportunities within the College of Medicine, University of Kentucky at-large and research, as well as community engagement and advocacy by assisting the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty, students, residents and fellowship trainees.
