M. Deborrah Hyde: The Second African-American Woman
Neurosurgeon
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota Medical School,
Minneapolis, MN
Introduction:
A
less publicized consequence of the Civil Rights movement in the mid-20th
century is the door of opportunity it provided for African-American women to
become neurosurgeons, beginning in 1984 with Alexa I. Canady (University of
Minnesota). Unfortunately, the
exploits of a contemporary African-American woman neurosurgeon, M. Deborrah
Hyde, have remained largely in obscurity.
This report details the career and exploits of Dr. Hyde, one of the first woman to receive neurosurgery training in Ohio.
Methods:
A comprehensive
review of pertinent modern and historical records spanning the past century was
performed.
Results:
Born
in 1949 in Laurel, Mississippi, Dr. Hyde received her B.S. with honors from
Tougaloo College in 1969 and her M.S. in Biology at Cleveland State
University. Despite being told in medical school that she was not qualified to compete with "better prepared" non-minority students, Dr. Hyde received her M.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1977, earning election into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. The next year, she began neurosurgery residency at Case Western under Dr. Robert A. Ratcheson and Dr. Robert F. Spetzler, finishing in 1982 as the program's first female graduate.
In 1985, Dr. Hyde became the second African-American woman certified by
the American Board of Neurological Surgery, and in 1991 she established the Beacon of Hope Scholarship Foundation for underprivileged youth. She has subsequently continued a distinguished career in
private practice, presently residing in West Hills, California.
Conclusions:
The
diligence, perseverance and commitment of M. Deborrah Hyde M.D., M.S. enabled
her to overcome intense sexism and racism to train at Case Western, becoming
the second African-American woman neurosurgeon and the third woman trained in
Ohio (Carole Miller, Janet Bay).
As the first woman to train under Dr. Ratcheson and Dr. Spetzler, her
determination, excellence and generosity continue to inspire people of all races.
Keywords:
M. Deborrah Hyde, Case Western Reserve University,
Robert Ratcheson, Robert Spetzler, African-American Woman Neurosurgeon, Beacon of Hope Scholarship Foundation
Objectives:
1. Know
the identity of the second African-American board-certified woman neurosurgeon
2. Be
familiar with the first woman to train under Dr. Robert Ratcheson and Dr.
Robert Spetzler
3. Be
familiar with the first woman to train at Case Western for neurosurgery