This right here is Barbara Ross-Lee and she’s dope as hell!
Barbara was born June 1st 1942 to Ernestine Moten and Fred Ross Sr. She grew up in the Brewster-Douglas Housing Projects in east Detroit. She would grow up to be the first black woman appointed Dean of an American Medical School...and oh yeah, and her sister was Diana Ross (Yes THAT Diana Ross!)
Early experiences with death and sickness sparked an interest in Medicine. Plus as the Eldest of six, Barbara was already super adept at taking care of people! Little Barbara would be like: “If I was a doctor, I could help people and make a GANG of money, plus I’m already having to take care of lil baby Diana Ross!”
Barbara attended Wayne State University. And by this point she wanted to be a doctor, like REAL bad! The school discouraged her because she was black, and even more so because she was a woman.
So Barbara was like: “Yes, I am discouraged, but just in case, I’mma go ahead and double major in biology and chemistry!” She graduates, and almost immediately joins the National Teacher Corps. This gave her an opportunity to teach in the low income Detroit public school system, while earning her Masters Degree.
Years pass, Barbara has a several children, the first of which died due to Measles, this death only strengthened her desire to practice medicine to help prevent these horrible incidents!
She went back to school and in 1973 Ross graduated from Michigan State’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and founded her own private practice, which she operated for the next ten years.
From 1984 to 1990 Barbara served as a consultant to the Department of Health and Human Services. Here she work tirelessly, advising the board on issues of medical education, particularly as it related to people of color in medicine. She would also receive the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fellowship in 1993.
That same year she was appointed dean of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University, she would hold the position for eight years before leaving to become Vice President of Health Sciences and Medical Affairs at the New York Institute of Technology.
Her distinguished career is full of tons of awards and accolades, honestly The Supremes were lit, but a HUGE shining star of the Ross family is often forgotten, and she was a LEGEND! That’s why today February 19th 2018 I’m Remembering Barbara Ross-Lee.
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