February 1, 2001
Contact: Jennifer Day, (313) 577-1058, jday@med.wayne.edu

African-American History Month Tip Sheet

February is African-American History Month, and Wayne State University School of Medicine has been a driving force in both educating African-American doctors and studying and improving the health risks facing black Americans. Check out some of our work:

Dr. Charles Whitten, associate dean for special programs and distinguished professor of pediatrics emeritus, has been a leader in opening the field of medicine to African Americans. Dr. Whitten would make an excellent profile. In addition to his interesting career, he can discuss the state of African Americans in the medical profession today. Alternatively, we suggest a story on his groundbreaking Post Baccalaureate Program, which has served as a model for other educational institutions. Dr. Whitten is commonly recognized for two of his contributions:

*In 1969, he developed the Post Baccalaureate Program, an innovate curriculum designed to increase the minority applicant pool for the School of Medicine. Dr. Whitten’s program, which has helped graduate more than 165 African-American students from the school, is based on the belief that there are students with the ability to succeed in medical school, but are not competitive for admission because of educational, psychosocial and financial disadvantages. His one-year program helps students improve their scientific knowledge, academic skills and personal lives to allow them to overcome the rigors of medical school admission.
*Dr. Whitten dedicated his medical career to battling sickle cell anemia. He has been recognized nationally for his work, which dealt with both the disease and its psychosocial impact.

Wayne State University’s School of Medicine is studying several issues to help improve African Americans’ health. Among these studies are:

*Dr. John Flack, professor and associate chairman for the clinical research and urban health outcomes, has discovered that African Americans are genetically predisposed to a salt sensitivity that causes high blood pressure, even with normal salt intake. High blood pressure in salt-sensitive people is damaging to the kidneys, brain and heart.
*Dr. Seemant Chaturvedi, associate professor of neurology, is working to study and identify African Americans at risk for stroke. African Americans are twice as likely to have strokes than people of other races. One of his studies, sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, seeks to determine vascular and nutritional causes that put African Americans at increased risk.
*Drs. Thomas Uhde and Orlena Merritt-Davis, both of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, are working to determine whether African Americans are more likely to have sleep problems, such as sleep paralysis, associated with panic disorder.

The statistics speak for themselves. The percentage of African-American residents and fellows in advanced training programs at WSU-affiliated hospitals is nearly three times the national average. WSU ranks seventh of the nation’s medical schools in the number of full-time faculty who are African American, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. WSU School of Medicine ranks seventh in the nation for the number of underrepresented minority graduates.