Pioneers in Medicine
Dr. Lisa Robinson is a pediatric nephrologist and senior scientist at SickKids, recently appointed as the Dean of Medicine of this university.
What is the University of Toronto?
Explanation: Dr. Robinson was appointed the first-ever Chief Diversity Officer at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine in 2016 and has expanded her vision for inclusion as Dean.
Dr. Marie M. Daly was the first Black woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Her research linked high blood pressure to this common dietary substance.
Answer: What is salt (sodium)
Explanation: Her findings helped shape dietary guidelines for heart disease prevention
This Black Canadian doctor and activist co-founded the Black Physicians' Association of Ontario and works to address anti-Black racism in healthcare.
Answer: Who is Dr. Onye Nnorom?
Explanation: Dr. Nnorom has been instrumental in fighting anti-Black racism in Canadian healthcare, mentoring Black medical students, and pushing for systemic change to improve health outcomes for Black communities.
Gerty Cori was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology through her research in hormones, insulin and this form of energy
Answer: What is sugar?
Explanation: After earning a degree in medicine, Grety Cori left Prague for the United States. Later, Cori became a biochemistry professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Gigi Osler works at the University of Manitoba as an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. She is the first female surgeon to hold the president position in what organization that has the acronym CMA?
Answer: What is the Canadian Medical Association?
Explanation Dr. Gigi Osler is the child of Filipino and Indian immigrants to Canada. She was raised in Winnipeg and completed her residency for head and neck surgery at the University of Manitoba. She is not only the first female surgeon to hold a position in the CMA, but the first racialized woman elected as president.
This mosquito-transmitted infectious disease is treated by artemisinin, a drug discovered by Tu Youyou, which won the Chinese pharmacologist the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Answer: What is malaria?
Explanation: Tu Youyou discovered artemisinin, a drug that targets and stops the parasite from replicating in human red blood cells.
Katalin Karikó, a Hungarian biochemist, played a pivotal role in developing mRNA technology that led to the creation of this vaccine
Answer: What are COVID-19 vaccines?
Explanation: Her research laid the foundation for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, saving millions of lives worldwide.
Dr. Nadine Caron made history as the first Indigenous woman to become a surgeon in Canada. She is also a strong advocate for which Indigenous community in Canada.
Answer: What are Northern First Nations?
Explanation: Dr. Caron works tirelessly to improve healthcare access for Indigenous populations, particularly in remote areas. She advocates for culturally sensitive care and policies that address health inequities among First Nations communities.
Before becoming the first African American to get her MD, Rebecca Lee Crumpler used her eight-year career in this healthcare profession to gain admission into medical school.
Answer: What is nursing?
Explanation: She completed her education in 1864 and became the first black woman to graduate from the school.
Dr. Patrice Harris is a psychiatrist in child and adolescent psychiatry as well as forensic psychiatry. She made history by becoming the first African-American woman to become president of what organization with the acronym of AMA?
Answer: What is the American Medical Association?
Explanation: Dr. Patrice Harris is a very well-accomplished doctor having a background in medicine and law. She got a medical degree in psychiatry at West Virginia University and was a senior policy fellow at the Emory University school of law. She uses this obtained knowledge to improve the lives of children across the U.S. and provide service as a practicing psychiatrist
Dr. Tsuneko Okazaki, a Japanese molecular biologist, made this discovery related to DNA replication.
Answer: What are Okazaki fragments?
Explanation: Dr. Okazaki discovered that DNA is replicated in starts and stops creating fragments, which is important in understanding genetic inheritance and disease.
This African American patient’s cells, taken without her consent in 1951, became the first "immortal" human cell line, leading to breakthroughs in cancer research, vaccines, and genetics.
Answer: Who is Henrietta Lacks' HeLa cells?
Explanation: Her cells have been used in developing the polio vaccine, cancer treatments, and even space research.
This Jamaican-Scottish nurse, who worked during the Crimean War, was an advocate for equitable healthcare and founded the "British Hotel" to care for wounded soldiers.
Answer: Who is Mary Seacole?
Explanation: Despite facing racial discrimination, Mary Seacole set up a facility near the battlefield to provide medical care to soldiers. Her contributions to military medicine and advocacy for equitable care have gained recognition over time
Kadambini Ganguli was the first woman to graduate from this Asian country and graduate and practice Western Medicine in the United Kingdom.
Answer: What is India?
Explanation: Ganguli sought more medical education in the UK after overcoming numerous social barriers. After earning her degree, she went back to India to work as a doctor.
Dr. Asima Ahmed is a trailblazer in fertility medicine and is the Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of a fertility company called Carrot. What medical specialty deals with fertility and pregnancies?
Answer: What is Obstetrics Gynecology (OBGYN)
Explanation: Carrot, the company that she co-founded is world-renown in fertility and helps many families across the world who are having fertility issues, give birth to children. She has been named in the 30 under 40 for the Business Insider article for her amazing achievements.
Dr. Miriam Rossi is Black paediatrician that co-founded the Summer Mentorship Program (SMP), Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario, and what centre.
Answer: What is the TAIBU Community Health Centre?
Explanation: Dr. Rossi was a pediatrician at SickKids and Associate Dean at UofT, who paved the way for diversity and health equity in the community and in medical education.
Doudna and Charpentier co-developed this gene-editing tool, a revolutionary breakthrough for modifying DNA
Answer: What is CRISPR-Cas9?
Explanation: It is used to treat genetic disorders like sickle cell anemia and has potential applications in cancer therapy. They won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this discovery.
In 1918, Dr. Maud Montjoy, the first Black woman to practice medicine in Canada, overcame systemic racism to provide care in this province, where she established her practice.
Answer: What is Nova Scotia?
Explanation: Dr. Montjoy defied racial and gender barriers to become a physician, providing essential healthcare to underserved Black communities in Nova Scotia. Her legacy paved the way for future generations of Black women in medicine.
Despite these health concerns being neglected by developed countries, Maria Elena Bottazzi works to develop vaccines for overlooked tropical diseases, such as Chagas, ________, leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis.
Answer: What is hookworm?
Explanation: These diseases are often fatal, and in poorer countrie
Dr. Antonia Novello is a surgeon general, originally from Puerto Rico. She is known for her work protecting the young and vulnerable by fighting against harmful cigarette marketing and underage drinking. What field of medicine was she previously in?
Answer: What is Pediatrics?
Explanation: Dr. Novello herself suffered from medical issues as a child, specifically dealing with a condition called congenital megacolon and her family could not pay for the surgery to fix it. This motivated her passion for medicine and her efforts to reform the U.S. healthcare system.
Dr. Joycelyn Elders is the first African-American and the second woman to hold this public health position in the U.S. government.
Answer: What is the U.S. Surgeon General?
Explanation: The Surgeon General is the lead spokesperson on matters of public health and oversees the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, a group of over 6,000 uniformed public health professionals who are deployed to address public health threats and emergencies.
Dr. Patricia Bath, the first Black female ophthalmologist, invented the Laserphaco probe, which is used for what?
Answer: What is improving cataract surgery?
Explanation: This device revolutionized cataract treatment, restoring vision to millions worldwide
Dr. Alice Ball’s research contributed to the development of the “Ball Method,” which was the first effective treatment for this disease. By doing this, she helped combat the social ostracism faced by patients, who were often forcibly segregated.
Answer: What is leprosy?
Explanation: In 1915, Dr. Alice Ball developed the first successful treatment for leprosy, allowing patients to be treated rather than isolated. Her pioneering work in chemistry and medicine was groundbreaking, especially at a time when Black women were rarely recognized in scientific research.
As the first director of Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital's anesthesia department, who studied anesthesiology and labour and delivery on women’s health, she created the Apgar score, the gold standard used today to determine the newborn’s health.
Answer: Who is Virginia Apgar?
Explanation: In 1938, Virginia Apgar she served as the first director of the anesthetic department at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital and in her 50s, she focused on the ways to prevent birth defects.
Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett is an immunologist that helped develop the Covid-19 vaccine. What famous organization under the name NIH does she work for?
Answer: What is the National Institutes of Health?
Explanation: Dr. Corbett is a viral immunologist who helped develop a Covid-19 vaccine called mRNA-1273, which has been proven to be effective against the Covid-19 virus. She has developed extensive experience in vaccine manufacturing with various diseases such as dengue virus, influenza virus, and coronavirus and she advocated for STEM education and vaccine awareness.