Carl Glennis Roberts, MD (1886–1950) was an American

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

, and civil right leader, active in Chicago. He was one of the first African Americans to be elected to the

American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a professional medical association for surgeons and surgical team members, founded in 1913. It claims more than 90,000 members in 144 countries. History The ACS was founded in 1913 as an outgrowth of ...

; he was also a former president of the

National Medical Association The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest organization representing African Americans, African American physicians and their patients in the United States. As a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) national professional and sc ...

Early life and family

Carl Glennis Roberts was born on December 15, 1886, in Roberts Settlement in Hamilton County, Indiana. His father Carl Glennis Roberts Sr. (1837–1917) was also born at Roberts Settlement, and his paternal great grandparents from North Carolina had established Roberts Settlement in 1823. His maternal great grandfather was Jack Simpson, a chief of the Choctaw tribe. Roberts graduated from Fairmont High School and Academy, where he attended from 1901 to 1905.

Education

He attended the Chicago College of Medicine and Surgery (now Stritch School of Medicine); and

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

from 1907 to 1911. Roberts was the first Black (or "colored") graduate from the medical school at Valparaiso University. After graduation, he continued his surgical studies at numerous schools, including at the Illinois Post Graduate School of Therapeutics; the Chicago Laboratory of Surgical Techniques; the Chicago Institute of Surgery; the Illinois Post-Graduate School of Operative Surgery; the University of Chicago Medical School (now Pritzker School of Medicine); and the

Cook County Hospital The John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (shortened ''Stroger Hospital'', formerly Cook County Hospital) is a public hospital in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is part of Cook County Health, along with Provident Hospital of Cook Cou ...

Graduate School, Laboratory of Surgical Pathology.

Career

In 1911, after receiving his medical degree, Roberts started a general medical practice and internship at the German American Hospital. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Roberts organized the first African American sanitary corps for the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

, where he served as the

commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

from 1918 to 1920. At the request of medical chief George Cleveland Hall, Roberts joined Provident Hospital in 1916 as the chairman of gynecology, and maintained this role until 1923; followed by serving as the chairman of surgery starting in 1935. He worked as a gynecologist at Provident Hospital, from 1916 to 1920; as a gynecologist at the German American Hospital from 1918 to 1922; as a surgeon and attending staff at Chicago General Hospital from 1911 to 1928. Roberts served in 1925 as the president of the Chicago

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

. He was the president of the

, from 1926 to 1927. Roberts was one of the first African Americans to be certified by the

American Board of Surgery The American Board of Surgery (ABS) is an independent, non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded for the purpose of certifying surgeons who have met a defined standard of education, training and knowledge. Surgeons cert ...

. Roberts also lectures at white Protestant churches on "racial relationships".

Death

He experienced

coronary thrombosis Coronary thrombosis is defined as the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel of the heart. This blood clot may then restrict blood flow within the heart, leading to heart tissue damage, or a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart ...

in 1941, and was said to have never fully recovered. Roberts died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on January 15, 1950, in Chicago. After his death, the National Medical Association held a memorial in his honor at the

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...

(now Hampton University).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Carl Glennis 1886 births 1950 deaths 20th-century African-American physicians American civil rights activists American surgeons American gynecologists American people of Choctaw descent People from Hamilton County, Indiana Valparaiso University alumni University of Chicago alumni 20th-century American physicians