Aaron Shirley (January 3, 1933 – November 26, 2014) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and civil rights activist. Shirley was born in

Gluckstadt, Mississippi Gluckstadt is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. It was a census-designated place and unincorporated community until the municipal incorporation of the City of Gluckstadt became effective in June 2021. The city is located along ...

. He was Chairman of the Board for the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation, and an associate professor in pediatrics at the

University of Mississippi Medical Center University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) is the health sciences campus of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and is located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. UMMC, also referred to as the Medical Center, is the state's only aca ...

. He was a graduate of

Tougaloo College Tougaloo College is a private historically black college in the Tougaloo area of Jackson, Mississippi. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It was originally established in 1869 by New Yor ...

and

Meharry Medical College Meharry Medical College is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Medical school in the United States, medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Te ...

. Dr. Blair E. Batson, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at

, offered him a position in the department's residency education program. Shirley became the first African-American learner at UMMC when he entered the residency program in 1965. For a long time, Shirley was the only black pediatrician in the state of Mississippi. He was not dedicated to non-violence; upon hearing that the Ku Klux Klan was heading to his home, he warned the local police that his sons knew how to shoot. He also was known for installing wells to provide clean drinking water and for traveling the countryside to care for sick babies. He was married to Ollye Shirley; they had four children. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine, and Citizens' Health Care Working Group. In 1970, Shirley co-founded Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, the largest Federal Qualified Community Health Center within the state of Mississippi to provide medical care for the underserved. In 2010, Shirley founded the HealthConnect program. Modeled after a similar program in Iran, the program sends doctors and nurses to poor rural homes to help prevent unnecessary ER visits. Shirley died of natural causes in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

, on November 26, 2014. He was 81. Gov. Phil Bryant declared December 6, 2014 as “Dr. Aaron Shirley Day” in the state. Also, Jackson City Councilman Melvin Priester Jr. presented Shirley's family with an American flag that flew over the White House the previous week in Shirley's honor. It was sent by President Barack Obama and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson.

Awards

*2013 American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. AACE Outstanding Service Award for Promotion of Endocrine Health of an Underserved Population. (https://pro.aace.com/about/awards/past-award-winners) *2013 Citizen Diplomat Award *2009 Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence Award *2007 Mississippi Majesty Honoree *1993 MacArthur Fellows Program

References

External links

"Dr. Blair Batson on Dr. Aaron Shirley's arrival at UMC"
''Winter Institute'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Shirley, Aaron 1933 births 2014 deaths Physicians from Mississippi Tougaloo College alumni Meharry Medical College alumni MacArthur Fellows University of Mississippi faculty People from Madison County, Mississippi Members of the National Academy of Medicine 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American physicians 20th-century African-American physicians 21st-century African-American physicians American pediatricians