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Levi Watkins

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Levi Watkins
BornJune 13, 1944
Parsons, Kansas, U.S.
DiedApril 11, 2015
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Cause of deathheart attack
Alma materTennessee State University
Vanderbilt University Medical School
Occupation(s)Heart surgeon, civil rights activist
Parent(s)Levi Watkins, Sr.
Lillian Varnado

Levi Watkins, Jr. (June 13, 1944 – April 11, 2015) was an African American heart surgeon and civil rights activist. In 1980, he and Vivien Thomas were the first to successfully implant an automatic defibrillator in a human patient.[1][2]

Early life and education

Watkins was born in Parsons, Kansas to Levi Watkins, Sr. (1911–1994)[3][4] and Lillian Varnado (1917–2013).[5] The family moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where his father served as the sixth president of Alabama State College from 1962 to 1983 and his mother worked as a high school teacher. Watkins was the valedictorian of his class at Alabama State Laboratory High School.[6]

He graduated from Tennessee State University and applied to the University of Alabama School of Medicine, but was rejected. Instead, he attended the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and became the first African American to obtain a medical degree from that institution. By the time he graduated in 1970, Watkins was still the only black student at the school.[1][2] He was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Mu, and Beta Kappa Chi.[7][8]

Medical career

Watkins began his medical residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1971. He left in 1973 for Harvard University where he researched the use of angiotensin blockers in cases of congestive heart failure. Watkins returned to Johns Hopkins two years later, and joined the admissions department in 1979. He was named a professor of cardiac surgery in 1991, and concurrently held the post of associate dean of the School of Medicine until his retirement in 2013.[1][2]

Death

Watkins died in Baltimore on April 11, 2015, at the age of 70, due to a heart attack and subsequent stroke. He was survived by four of his six siblings, one of which is the lawyer Donald Watkins.[1][2] Vanderbilt University established the Levi Watkins Jr., M.D. Chair in his honor on April 30.[9] He had inaugurated a lecture series also named after him in 2002.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (April 16, 2015). "Levi Watkins, 70, Dies; Pioneering Heart Surgeon Pushed Civil Rights". New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d McDaniels, Andrea K. (April 21, 2015). "Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. dies at 70; cardiac surgery innovator, activist". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  3. ^ Chandler, D.L. (October 23, 2014). "Little Known Black History Fact: Levi Watkins, Sr". Black America Web. p. 2. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  4. ^ "Alabama State University, A Time Line". Alabama State University. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  5. ^ Poe, Janita (October 7, 2013). "Lillian Watkins, 96: Wife of legendary Alabama State University president Levi Watkins, matriarch of accomplished Watkins family". The Birmingham News. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  6. ^ "Dr. Levi Watkins". The HistoryMakers. February 5, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  7. ^ Humphrey, Nancy (April 13, 2015). "Vanderbilt mourns loss of Levi Watkins Jr., M.D., pioneer of medicine and champion of racial equality". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  8. ^ Freeman, E. (April 24, 2015). "Colleagues, Friends Reflect on Levi Watkins Legacy". Tennessee State University. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  9. ^ Humphrey, Nancy (April 30, 2015). "Zeppos announces chair in diversity in Dr. Levi Watkins' name". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  10. ^ "Obituary: Dr. Levi Watkins Jr., MD'70, Soldier for Diversity". Vanderbilt Magazine. July 31, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
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