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Science Library Displays: Alexa Canady, MD
Alexa Canady, MD
More about Alexa Canady, MD
Alexa Canady, MD is the first African-American woman neurosurgeon in the United States, and she began practicing medicine in 1981. Originally from Flint Michigan, Canady earned a B.S. in Zoology from University of Michigan and her medical degree from Universyt of Michigan Medical School in 1975. She completed her residency in neurosurgery at the Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1975 and began practicing as a neurosurgeon at the Children's Hospital pf Philadelphia in 1981. She retired from neurosurgery in 2001.
Alexa Canady almost dropped out of college in her sophomore year, but was thankful she stuck through though there were limited resources for women of color in STEM at the time. She believes in recruiting young professionals to the neurosurgeon profession and is a member of the American College of Surgeons. She is a strong advocate for women in STEM as well as women in medicine.
More information can be found at biography.com
- The Journey: Becoming a Neurosurgeon and Back AgainA transcript of Canady's Olga M. Jonasson lecture from 2016. In it she describes her entry into neurosurgery and the desire to draw more gifted students into the surgical profession.
Interviews with Doctor Canady
Books about Women of Color in STEM
Women of Color in STEMThis book is an edited work that combines historical accounts of women of color in STEM as well as essays that focus on the issues that women of color face in STEM professions. Broken into two parts: 1) Resilience and Opportunity and 2) Struggles and Successs. Available as an ebook as well.
Resilience and Success: The Professional Journeys of African American Women ScientistsResilience and Successcharts the education and career trajectories of African American women scientists and sheds light as to why young African American females drop off the science map in high school. It constructs a story about the map, which includes exits, entrances and turns. This phenomenon was influenced by cultural and socio-economic issues; class, race relations and racial biases; geography and most important, opportunities and serendipity. None of the roads were smooth as these African American women followed in the footsteps of those who had gone before them. It is critical for young African American female students to know that they have a passion and sense of curiosity befitting a future scientist. The stories of these women serve as a model for the way families, teachers, counselors, community activists and policy makers can participate in developing a new generation of African American women scientists.
