Lillian Atkins Clark
American physician
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Lillian Atkins Clark (April 29, 1897 – March 28, 1934) was an American physician. She was the first African American woman to pass the National Board of Medical Examiners. She worked as a medical doctor in Philadelphia in hospitals and in her own practice.
April 29, 1897
Lillian Atkins Clark | |
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Lillian Atkins Clark, from a 1925 issue of The Crisis | |
| Born | Lillian Atkins April 29, 1897 Richmond, Virginia |
| Died | March 28, 1934 (aged 36) Hampton, Virginia, US |
| Occupation | Physician |
Early life and education
Lillian Atkins was born in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of Dr. William E. Atkins and Ida Binga Atkins of Hampton, Virginia.[1] Her father was a physician.[2] Her maternal grandfather was Anthony Binga Jr., a prominent black Baptist clergyman.[3][4] She attended Shaw University on a scholarship, where she had an excellent academic record.[5] She then studied at the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania and earned the school's Anatomy Prize.[6] She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[3]
Career
Atkins passed the National Board of Medical Examiners in 1924 and was the first African American woman to pass the board.[5][7] She worked as chief resident physician at Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital.[5] Her focus as a doctor was on women's and children's health and she also worked as an assistant to Nathan Francis Mossell, the hospital's medical director and superintendent.[5][8] Clark opened an office in North Philadelphia in 1925.[5]
Personal life
Lillian Atkins married Hugh T. Clark in 1923.[3] After being ill for nearly a year, Clark died at age 36 years, in Hampton, Virginia, where she had moved in with her mother.[9] She was buried in Elmerton Cemetery.[10] The disposition of her considerable estate was disputed in court, with her widower and her sister each claiming to be the chief legatee.[11]