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A SERVICE OF OHIO'S PUBLIC BROADCASTING STATIONS
A SERVICE OF OHIO'S PUBLIC BROADCASTING STATIONS
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Ellamae Simmons born and raised in Mount Vernon, became the first African-American woman physician to specialize in asthma, allergy and immunology in the United States. Graduating in the top of her high school class, she dreamed of attending Ohio State University to become a nurse, but was rejected, citing that they didn't have the facilities for training her, a young black girl. Undeterred, she pursued her dream of medicine, earning degrees in nursing, pre-med, biological sciences, social work, and finally, her M.D. Simmons would become known for breaking through the many barriers she encountered for tenaciously steering the course of her own life and blazing new trails for others. Having achieved her nursing degree in 1940, Simmons pioneered the integration of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, serving in World War II as one of the first black nurses to be posted to an army base and hospital. After the war, she would finally be accepted to study pre-med at Ohio State University, but not without being told she could not live in a campus dormitory. Again, Simmons refused to accept this rejection, persisted and became the first black woman to live in the university's dorms. Her resolve to pursue her dream would continue to be tested even after she became Dr. Ellamae Simmons in 1959. Dr. Simmons applied to work at Kaiser Permanente in 1968, and in her now legendary interview, Dr. Simmons was delayed, downplayed and dismissed by the hiring physician. Nevertheless, she persisted, demanding to be judged by her qualifications and not by her race and gender. The physician relented, and Dr. Simmons became the first black woman physician hired by Kaiser Permanente. Despite all of her credentials and achievements, Dr. Simmons continued to battle housing discrimination even in the relatively progressive San Francisco Bay area. Never satisfied to accept the status quo. she integrated the prestigious Presidio Heights neighborhood in the 1960s and joined the Mutual Real Estate Investment Trust to promote housing integration. Dr. Simmons practiced at Kaiser Permanente until she retired in 1989, finally laying down to rest in 2019 at the age of 101. A true trailblazer and remarkable Ohioan.
December 7, 2022