Patricia Bath Biography

Patricia Bath

Doctor, Inventor, Educator (1942–)

Among many firsts, Patricia Bath is the first African American to complete a residency in ophthalmology and the first African-American female doctor to receive a medical patent. She invented the Laserphaco Probe for cataract treatment in 1986.

Synopsis

Born in Harlem, New York, on November 4, 1942, Patricia Bath became the first African American to complete a residency in ophthalmology in 1973. Two years later, she became the first female faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute. In 1976, Bath co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, which established that "eyesight is a basic human right." In 1986, Bath invented the Laserphaco Probe, improving treatment for cataract patients. She patented the device in 1988, becoming the first African-American female doctor to receive a medical patent.

 

Early Life

Patricia Era Bath was born on November 4, 1942, in Harlem, New York, to Rupert Bath, the first black motorman for the New York City subway system, and Gladys Bath, a housewife and domestic worker who used her salary to save money for her children's education. Bath was encouraged by her family to pursue academic interests. Her father, a former Merchant Marine and an occasional newspaper columnist, taught Bath about the wonders of travel and the value of exploring new cultures. Her mother piqued the young girl's interest in science by buying her a chemistry set.

As a result, Bath worked hard on her intellectual pursuits and, at the age of 16, became one of only a few students to attend a cancer research workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The program head, Dr. Robert Bernard, was so impressed with Bath's discoveries during the project that he incorporated her findings in a scientific paper he presented at a conference. The publicity surrounding her discoveries earned Bath the Mademoiselle magazine's Merit Award in 1960.

After graduating from high school in only two years, Bath headed to Hunter College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in 1964. She then attended Howard University to pursue a medical degree. Bath graduated with honors from Howard in 1968, and accepted an internship at Harlem Hospital shortly afterward. The following year, she also began pursuing a fellowship in ophthalmology at Columbia University. Through her studies there, she discovered that African Americans were twice as likely to suffer from blindness than other patients to which she attended, and eight times more likely to develop glaucoma. Her research led to her development of a community ophthalmology system, which increased the amount of eye care given to those who were unable to afford treatment.

 

Pioneer in Ophthalmology

In 1973, Patricia Bath became the first African American to complete a residency in ophthalmology. She moved to California the following year to work as an assistant professor of surgery at both Charles R. Drew University and the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1975, she became the first female faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute.

In 1976, Bath co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, which established that "eyesight is a basic human right." By 1983, Bath had helped create the Ophthalmology Residency Training program at UCLA-Drew, which she also chaired—becoming, in addition to her other firsts, the first woman in the nation to hold such a position.

 

Inventing the Laserphaco Probe

In 1981, Bath began working on her most well-known invention: the Laserphaco Probe (1986). Harnessing laser technology, the device created a less painful and more precise treatment of cataracts. She received a patent for the device in 1988, becoming the first African-American female doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose. (She also holds patents in Japan, Canada and Europe.) With her Laserphaco Probe, Bath was able to help restore the sight of individuals who had been blind for more than 30 years.

In 1993, Bath retired from her position at the UCLA Medical Center and became an honorary member of its medical staff. That same year, she was named a "Howard University Pioneer in Academic Medicine."

Among her many roles in the medical field, Bath is a strong advocate of telemedicine, which uses technology to provide medical services in remote areas.

David Nelson Crosthwait Jr. Biography

David Nelson Crosthwait Jr.

Inventor, Engineer, Journalist (1898–1976)

David Nelson Crosthwait Jr., an African-American pioneer in the field of heating and air conditioning, is best known for heating up Radio City Music Hall.

Synopsis

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 27, 1898, David Nelson Crosthwaite Jr. studied mechanical engineering at Purdue University before taking a job with the C.A. Dunham Company (now Dunham-Bush, Inc.). At Dunham, Crosthwait conducted innovative research, and designed the heat system for Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. He held 119 patents—39 in the U.S. and 80 internationally—all in relation to heating, cooling and temperature regulating technology.

Early Life

Engineer, inventor and writer David Nelson Crosthwait Jr. was born on May 27, 1898, in Nashville, Tennessee. An African-American pioneer in the field of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning, Crosthwait attended Purdue University, where he studied mechanical engineering. After graduating in 1913, he took a job with the C.A. Dunham Company (now known as Dunham-Bush, Inc.).

Heating and Cooling Inventions

During his time with the C.A. Dunham Company, David Crosthwait held many positions, including director of research. While at Dunham, he conducted research in several areas, including heat transfer and steam transport. His work led to many innovations in HVAC devices and technology, and he held more than 30 U.S. patents. Crosthwait designed HVAC systems, and the heating system at Radio City Music Hall in New York City is perhaps the best-known example of his work.

Besides research, product development and HVAC system design, Crosthwait also advanced his field by writing articles and revising sections of several editions of American Society of Heating and Ventilation Engineers Guide. Crosthwait's accomplishments were recognized by many in his field: He won a medal from the National Technological Association in the 1930s and was made a fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers in 1971—making him the first African American to receive the honor.

Death

Crosthwait officially retired from Dunham in 1969, after serving as an advisrr since 1930. He died on February 25, 1976, in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Charles Drew Biography

Charles Drew 

Doctor, Surgeon (1904–1950)

Charles Drew was an African-American surgeon who pioneered methods of storing blood plasma for transfusion and organized the first large-scale blood bank in the U.S.

Synopsis

Charles Richard Drew was born on June 3, 1904, in Washington, D.C. He was an African-American physician who developed ways to process and store blood plasma in "blood banks." He directed the blood plasma programs of the United States and Great Britain in World War II, but resigned after a ruling that the blood of African-Americans would be segregated. He died on April 1, 1950.

 

Early Life

A pioneering African-American medical researcher, Dr. Charles R. Drew made some groundbreaking discoveries in the storage and processing of blood for transfusions. He also managed two of the largest blood banks during World War II. 

Drew grew up in Washington, D.C. as the oldest son of a carpet layer. In his youth, Drew showed great athletic talent. He won several medals for swimming in his elementary years, and later branched out to football, basketball and other sports. After graduating from Dunbar High School in 1922, Drew went to Amherst College on a sports scholarship. There, he distinguished himself on the track and football teams.

Drew completed his bachelor's degree at Amherst in 1926, but didn't have enough money to pursue his dream of attending medical school. He worked as a biology instructor and a coach for Morgan College, now Morgan State University, in Baltimore for two years. In 1928, he applied to medical schools and enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

At McGill University, Drew quickly proved to be a top student. He won a prize in neuroanatomy and was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society. Graduating in 1933, Drew was second in his class and earned both Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees. He did his internship and residency at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Montreal General Hospital. During this time, Drew studied with Dr. John Beattie, and they examined problems and issues regarding blood transfusions.

After his father's death, Drew returned to the United States. He became an instructor at Howard University's medical school in 1935. The following year, he did a surgery residence at Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D.C., in addition to his work at the university.

 

Father of Blood Banks

In 1938, Drew received a Rockefeller Fellowship to study at Columbia University and train at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. There, he continued his exploration of blood-related matters with John Scudder. Drew developed a method for processing and preserving blood plasma, or blood without cells. Plasma lasts much longer than whole blood, making it possible to be stored or "banked" for longer periods of time. He discovered that the plasma could be dried and then reconstituted when needed. His research served as the basis of his doctorate thesis, "Banked Blood," and he received his doctorate degree in 1940. Drew became the first African-American to earn this degree from Columbia.

As World War II raged in Europe, Drew was asked to head up a special medical effort known as "Blood for Britain." He organized the collection and processing of blood plasma from several New York hospitals, and the shipments of these life-saving materials overseas to treat causalities in the war. According to one report, Drew helped collect roughly 14,500 pints of plasma.

In 1941, Drew worked on another blood bank effort, this time for the American Red Cross. He worked on developing a blood bank to be used for U.S. military personnel. But not long into his tenure there, Drew became frustrated with the military's request for segregating the blood donated by African Americans. At first, the military did not want to use blood from African Americans, but they later said it could only be used for African-American soldiers. Drew was outraged by this racist policy, and resigned his post after only a few months.

 

Death and Legacy

After creating two of the first blood banks, Drew returned to Howard University in 1941. He served as a professor there, heading up the university's department of surgery. He also became the chief surgeon at Freedmen's Hospital. Later that year, he became the first African-American examiner for the American Board of Surgery.

In 1944, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People honored Drew with its 1943 Spingarn Medal for "the highest and noblest achievement" by an African-American "during the preceding year or years." The award was given in recognition of Drew's blood plasma collection and distribution efforts.

For the final years of his life, Drew remained an active and highly regarded medical professional. He continued to serve as the chief surgeon at Freedmen's Hospital and a professor at Howard University. On April 1, 1950, Drew and three other physicians attended a medical conference at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Drew was behind the wheel when his vehicle crashed near Burlington, North Carolina. His passengers survived, but Drew succumbed to his injuries. He left behind his wife, Minnie, and their four children.

Drew was only 45 years old at the time of his death, and it is remarkable how much he was able to accomplish in such a limited amount of time. As the Reverend Jerry Moore said at Drew's funeral, Drew had "a life which crowds into a handful of years' significance, so great, men will never be able to forget it."

Since his passing, Drew has received countless posthumous honors. He was featured in the United States Postal Service's Great Americans stamp series in 1981, and his name appears on educational institutions across the

Mark Dean Biography

Mark Dean 

Inventor, Computer Programmer (1957–)

Computer scientist and engineer Mark Dean is credited with helping develop a number of landmark technologies, including the color PC monitor, the Industry Standard Architecture system bus and the first gigahertz chip.

 

Synopsis

Born in Jefferson City, Tennessee, in 1957, computer scientist and engineer Mark Dean helped develop a number of landmark technologies for IBM, including the color PC monitor and the first gigahertz chip. He holds three of the company's original nine patents. He also invented the Industry Standard Architecture system bus with engineer Dennis Moeller, allowing for computer plug-ins such as disk drives and printers.

 

Early Life and Education

Computer scientist and inventor Mark Dean was born on March 2, 1957, in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Dean is credited with helping to launch the personal computer age with work that made the machines more accessible and powerful.

From an early age, Dean showed a love for building things; as a young boy, Dean constructed a tractor from scratch with the help of his father, a supervisor at the Tennessee Valley Authority. Dean also excelled in many different areas, standing out as a gifted athlete and an extremely smart student who graduated with straight A's from Jefferson City High School. In 1979, he graduated at the top of his class at the University of Tennessee, where he studied engineering.

 

Innovation with IBM

Not long after college, Dean landed a job at IBM, a company he would become associated with for the duration of his career. As an engineer, Dean proved to be a rising star at the company. Working closely with a colleague, Dennis Moeller, Dean developed the new Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) systems bus, a new system that allowed peripheral devices like disk drives, printers and monitors to be plugged directly into computers. The end result was more efficiency and better integration.

But his groundbreaking work didn't stop there. Dean's research at IBM helped change the accessibility and power of the personal computer. His work led to the development of the color PC monitor and, in 1999, Dean led a team of engineers at IBM's Austin, Texas, lab to create the first gigahertz chip—a revolutionary piece of technology that is able to do a billion calculations a second.

In all, Dean holds three of the company's original nine patents and, in total, has more 20 patents associated with his name.

 

Later Years

Despite his early success, Mark Dean continued to further his education. He earned his master's degree in electrical engineering from Florida Atlantic University in 1982. Then, 10 years later, he completed his doctorate in the same field from Stanford University.

While Dean's name isn't quite as well known as maybe other computer pioneers such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, the inventor hasn't gone completely unrecognized. In 1996, he was named an IBM fellow, the first African-American ever to receive the honor. A year later, he was honored with the Black Engineer of the Year President's Award and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was tapped to be a member of the National Academy of Engineers.

"A lot of kids growing up today aren't told that you can be whatever you want to be," Dean has said. "There may be obstacles, but there are no limits."

TOP 10 Pinoy Entrepreneurs

 TOP 10 Pinoy Entrepreneurs

10. Rajo Laurel
 


World-renowned fashion designer Rajo Laurel says his love affair with fashion started when he was 11. “I often daydreamed about beautiful women drifting by, dressed in elegant gowns made from rich fabrics... these daydreams would end up in notebooks,” Laurel tells Entrepreneur. Rajo Laurel Enterprises has built multiple brands and crafted clothing lines to dress the country’s elite, and has landed him the cover of US fashion magazine Women’s Wear Daily for his “cobweb” dress. To date, his muses include some of the most prominent local personalities, including former presidents Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.




9. George Yang


“You have to think thrice before going into this business,” master McDonald’s franchisee George Yang tells Entrepreneur. It took him five years to convince the All-American hamburger chain to do business in Manila, and competition was fierce when he finally opened the first McDonald’s branch in 1981. After all, he had to introduce the global brand to a local market that already had a long-standing favorite fast food chain. Yang says it wasn’t easy, but with the help of his son, Golden Arches president and CEO Kenneth Yang, the Filipino-Chinese entrepreneur says the key to his success was adapting to the local culture.


8. Ben Chan
Retail mogul Ben Chan founded Bench with the intention of improving the quality of Manila’s retail scene. Chan credits the clothing line’s success to a number of things: being picky about celebrity endorsers, having an adventurous attitude in advertising, and making a lot of mistakes along the way. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of the market not being ready,” Chan tells Entrepreneur. “Other times we just didn’t get it right. I look at these trials as lab work: you can’t expect to get the perfect formula on the first try, but then you’re also smarter about what doesn’t work and you know better the next time.”


7. Socorro Ramos



Even in her late 80s, the woman behind the country’s oldest and largest bookstore chain is still working, and refuses to retire anytime soon. Socorro Ramos opened the first National Bookstore in Escolta with her husband more than 60 years ago, and has established 70 more locations and employed 2,5000 employees since then. To date, Nanay Coring, as Ramos is otherwise known, has several accolades in her name: the Agora Award for Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship  in 1991,  Department of Trade and Industry’s Outstanding Filipino Retailer Award in 2005, and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Philippines in 2005. “All my life I’ve never had a vacation, but I’m not complaining,” Ramos says. “It’s fun!”

6. Jose Concepcion Jr.



Concepcion is the chairman of RFM Corp., one of the leading food and beverage conglomerates in the Philippines. Established in 1958 as the Republic Flour Mills, the company has delved into agriculture, poultry, livestock, soft drinks, ice cream, fruit juice, and noodle manufacturing, among other things. Concepcion is the father of eight entrepreneurs, all of which were groomed by him. In his Entrepreneur interview, the food and beverage tycoon emphasizes the need to properly train the young so they develop the leadership skills necessary to run a business. “You don’t wait until you die before turning over the reigns," he says.

5. Tony Tan Caktiong



The chairman and CEO of Jollibee Food Corporation tells Entrepreneur that the country’s largest fast food chain started with just two ice cream parlors in 1975. Today, the Jollibee group has grown to include Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, and Delifrance (the sale of which will be completed within the year), and has expanded abroad. Soon, the group will also own 70 percent of Mang Inasal. Caktiong says, "The secret of Jollibee’s success is sharing. We share our success with people; we give good compensation; we share any honor that comes our way."

4. Andrew Tan


Tan has yet to open the grocery store he dreamed of as a kid, but as the CEO of real estate giant Megaworld, he can "build one every week" if he wants to, says Entrepreneur. Tan’s Megaworld Properties and Holdings is currently estimated at P30 billion, and its affiliate--Empire East Landholdings--is considered one of the leaders in the property sector. His first business venture, the Consolidated Distillers of the Far East, is the third biggest distillery in Manila. "Most entrepreneurs are good salesmen,” says this accounting grad who graduated magna cumlaude. “But a good salesman, who is also good at numbers could also become a good entrepreneur."

3. John Gokongwei Jr.



John Gokongwei’s rags-to-riches story is one of the most inspiring tales in the local business scene. His humble beginnings more than 60 years ago include selling soap on his bike and peddling goods in Cebu. Today, he’s the chairman and founder of JG Summit Holdings, one of the biggest conglomerates in the country. “You have to save money instead of spending all of it,” Gokongwei tells Entrepreneur. “Look for areas [where] you can compete in. Work damn hard. Most importantly, you have to love it."

2. Lucio Tan

For many years, Lucio Tan’s many business endeavors has made him the second-biggest taxpayer in the country. Tan built multiple empires in a number of industries--airline, banking, tobacco, liquor, and real estate--but surprisingly, the Chinese businessman’s lifelong dream was to be a scientist. "I was part of a poor immigrant family, so I had to work harder than everyone,” Tan tells Entrepreneur. “Perhaps I was really destined to be an entrepreneur, although up to now, my childhood dream of studying science continues to fascinate me to no end."

1. Henry Sy


He’s the retail giant behind the SM Group of Companies and is also among Forbes.com’s billionaire list with American bigwigs like publishing tycoon William Hearst III, hotelier Richard Mariott, and media mogul Oprah Winfrey. The richest man in the country credits his success to “hard work, tenacity, frugality, self-discipline, Confucian values, and an undying thirst for learning," according to Entrepreneur. “I don’t give up on things easily,” the 85-year-old says. “I look for solutions to problems. I want to make things happen.”