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A young, black, professional, Spelman College and UNC Law grad, and new mommy who practices law in the Chicago suburbs.

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The Other Dreamgirl

March 25th, 2007 • Related • Filed Under

Young Black Professional Guide to Dr. Barbara Ross-LeeWe all know about Diana Ross, the fabulous singer from Detroit who pursued a career in music that led her from urban poverty to celebrity as the lead singer of the “Supremes.” But recently I was forwarded an email about her sister, Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee, who has made history in her own right. This was a “who would have known?” moment for me and several of my peers who were surprised not to have known about the accomplishments of the other dreamgirl from Detroit.

Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., has worked in private practice, for the U.S. Public Health Service, and on numerous committees, and in 1993 was the first African American woman to be appointed dean of a United States medical school- The College of Osteopathic Medicine of Ohio University. When she received word from the media that she was the first African American dean of an American medical school, she was of course honored, but also surprised…and slightly disappointed. Surprised and disappointed that by 1993 we were still having “firsts” in African American history. But, as we’ve seen just this past February with Tony Dungy’s Superbowl win, we are still making marks in history books as “the first black…..”

Wikipedia doesn’t even have an article about this ambitious woman who is “changing the face of medicine.” But then again, Wikipedia is slowly losing credibility since falsely reporting that comedian Sinbad was deceased. But, I digress.

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