The Montreal Neurological Institute: training of the first African-American neurosurgeons

Abstract

Background: Since its inception in 1934 by the legendary Dr. Wilder Penfield, the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) has provided world-renowned instruction in neurosurgery and related neurosciences, training many of the most prominent figures in the history of neurosurgery. Less well known is the role of the MNI in training the first African-American board-certified neurosurgeons.

Methods: A comprehensive review of pertinent modern and historical records spanning the past century was performed.

Results: From 1947-1965, the MNI trained the first African-American board-certified neurosurgeon, and three of the first four. The first, Dr. Clarence Greene, Sr., trained at MNI from 1947-1949. The next, Dr. Jesse Barber, Jr., trained at MNI from 1958-1961. Like Greene, Barber received his MD from the Howard University College of Medicine, was on the general surgery faculty at Howard before training at MNI under Penfield and returned to Howard following his training. The third, Dr. Lloyd Dayes, matriculated at MNI in 1960 after receiving his MD from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and trained from 1961-1965 under Dr. Theodore Rasmussen, after which he returned to Loma Linda. Greene, Barber and Dayes were certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 1953, 1963 and 1967, respectively, as the first, third and fourth African-American neurosurgeons.

Conclusion: The willingness of the world-renowned MNI to train the first African-American neurosurgeons during a time of intense racial segregation in the United States played a major role in enabling subsequent African Americans to enter and enhance the field of neurosurgery.