Helen E. Nash
| Interviewer: | Marion Hunt |  |
| Date: | April 20, 1999 | |
| Identifier: | OH073 | |
| Approximate Length: | 71 min. | |
| Biographical Information: | Pediatrician, born 1921. Nash, a native of Atlanta, received her medical degree from Meharry Medical College in 1945. She came to St. Louis for her internship and residency at Homer G. Phillips Hospital, and then opened a successful pediatric practice in St. Louis. Nash was the first African American physician appointed to the attending staff of St. Louis Children’s Hospital; she was among the first four African-American physicians to join the clinical faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine. After retiring from private practice in 1992, Nash served for three years as the dean of Minority Affairs at the Washington University School of Medicine. | |
| Summary: | Nash discusses growing up in Atlanta as the child of a successful African-American physician father and music teacher mother. She relates some of her experiences attending Meharry Medical College in the early 1940s and coming to St. Louis for her internship and residency at Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Nash discusses establishing and running a successful solo pediatric practice and the racism and sexism she faced during her professional career. She also discusses her mentor, Park J. White, and some of their experiences fighting segregation in medical care in St. Louis. |
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