- NĂ©e:
- Minnie Joycelyn Jones
- Born:
- August 13, 1933, Schaal, Arkansas, U.S. (age 93)
Joycelyn Elders
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Who is Joycelyn Elders?
Joycelyn Elders, born August 13, 1933, is an American physician and public health official. She served as U.S. surgeon general from 1993â94, the first Black American and second woman in that role.
Elders was raised in a family of sharecroppers and, at 15, entered Philander Smith College. She later joined the army and trained as a physical therapist. In 1960, she was the only woman to graduate from the University of Arkansas Medical School. Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton appointed Elders director of public health in 1987. In 1993, Clinton nominated Elders for U.S. surgeon general. After a controversial confirmation, she was confirmed but resigned in December 1994. In 1995, she returned to the University of Arkansas.
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What jobs did Joycelyn Elders have in the medical field?
Joycelyn Elders, born in 1933, is an American physician and public health official. She trained as a physical therapist in the army and later became the only woman to graduate from the University of Arkansas Medical School in 1960.
After an internship in pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Hospital, she returned to Arkansas for a residency at the University of Arkansas Medical Center, becoming chief pediatric resident in 1963 and pediatric research fellow in 1964. She joined the medical school faculty in 1967, becoming a full professor by 1976. In 1987, Bill Clinton appointed Elders director of public health for Arkansas. Later, in 1995, she went back to the University of Arkansas, teaching and practicing pediatric endocrinology.
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What is the Surgeon General, and why was Joycelyn Elders important in that role?
The Surgeon General, known as the "Nation's Doctor," is appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by the Senate. This official provides Americans with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury.
Joycelyn Elders, appointed Surgeon General by President Bill Clinton in 1993, was the first Black American and second woman to hold the post. During her tenure, she played an important role in Clintonâs efforts to reorganize the healthcare system. Elders also advocated for unorthodox solutions to public health problems, such as sex education in public schools, which caused controversy.
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What are some health topics Joycelyn Elders spoke about during her career?
During her career, Joycelyn Elders spoke about various health topics, including teen pregnancy prevention through sex education and birth control access. She also advocated for expanded HIV testing and counseling, breast cancer screenings, and comprehensive care for the elderly and terminally ill. As U.S. Surgeon General, Elders played a role in President Clinton's efforts to reorganize the healthcare system and encouraged the public to consider unconventional solutions to public health issues.
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Why did some of Joycelyn Elders's opinions cause controversy?
Joycelyn Elders's opinions stirred controversy due to her outspoken views on sex education and public health matters, which some considered unorthodox.
Appointed as U.S. Surgeon General by President Bill Clinton in 1993, her confirmation was lengthy and controversial, facing criticism regarding her financial dealings and outspokenness on sex education. Elders advocated for sex education in public schools, which sparked significant debate. Ultimately, in December 1994, President Clinton requested her resignation due to the controversy generated by some of her suggestions.
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How did Joycelyn Elders's work influence public health and future medical leaders?
Joycelyn Elders, as U.S. Surgeon General (1993-94), significantly influenced public health through her efforts to reorganize the healthcare system and advocate for unconventional solutions. As Arkansas' director of public health, she launched initiatives that slashed teen pregnancy via school-based clinics providing birth control, counseling, and sex education. Elders also expanded HIV services and breast cancer screenings. Although her outspokenness sparked controversy, she left a legacy of addressing critical public health issues and advocating for comprehensive healthcare solutions, influencing future medical leaders.
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Joycelyn Elders (born August 13, 1933, Schaal, Arkansas, U.S.) is an American physician and public health official who served (1993â94) as U.S. surgeon general, the first Black American and the second woman to hold that post.
Elders was the first of eight children in a family of sharecroppers. At age 15 she entered Philander Smith College, a historically black liberal arts college in Little Rock, Arkansas, on a scholarship from the United Methodist Church. That year she saw a doctor for the first time in her life and subsequently determined to become a physician herself. In 1952 she graduated from college after three years. The following year she joined the army; she was trained as a physical therapist in Texas and served at army hospitals in San Francisco and Denver, Colorado. In 1956 she entered the University of Arkansas Medical School in Little Rock on the GI Bill, and in 1960 she was the only woman to graduate from that institution. Also in 1960, she married Oliver Elders. Following an internship in pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis (1960â61), she returned to Arkansas for a residency at the University of Arkansas Medical Center, where she rose to chief pediatric resident in 1963 and pediatric research fellow in 1964. She earned a degree in biochemistry from the university (M.S., 1967) and joined the faculty at the medical school in 1967, rising to full professor by 1976.
Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton appointed Elders to the office of director of public health in 1987. In that position she initiated a project to reduce the level of teen pregnancy through availability of birth control, counseling, and sex education at school-based clinics; achieved a 10-fold increase in early childhood screenings from 1988 to 1992 and a 24 percent rise in the immunization rate for two-year-olds; and expanded the availability of HIV testing and counseling services, breast cancer screenings, and around-the-clock care for elderly and terminally ill patients.
On the strength of these achievements, Elders in 1993 was nominated by President Bill Clinton for the post of U.S. surgeon general. Although her confirmation process was lengthy and controversialâinvolving criticisms of her financial dealings and her outspokenness on sex educationâshe was eventually confirmed. As chief U.S. medical officer, she played an important role in Clintonâs early efforts to reorganize the health care system, and she regularly urged the public to consider unorthodox solutions to public health problems. Some of her suggestions concerning sex education in the public schools, however, caused great controversy, and in December 1994 Clinton asked her to resign.
In 1995 she returned to the University of Arkansas, teaching and practicing pediatric endocrinology. Following her retirement in 1999, she lectured widely on public health issues. Her autobiography, Joycelyn Elders, MD, written with David Chanoff, was published in 1996.