Black innovators contribution to health & wellness throughout the years

For the second year in a row during Black History Month, our African Heritage Business Resource Group, is recognizing the many contributions Black innovators have made in paving the way for modern medicine, health, and wellness.

Take a look back and learn about a few of these important people in history. Their work helps us make advancements in the care that we provide to patients and customers today and for generations to come.

Dr. Mark Dean was one of the original inventors of the IBM personal computer and created the technology that allows devices such as keyboards, mice and printers to communicate with each other. ​

This impacts how we communicate with each other today and our ability to continue creating digital solutions to benefit patients and customers.​

Dr. Thomas Elkins invented the improved refrigerator to keep perishable items fresh. He used metal cool coils to produce air that became very cold in an enclosed area. The refrigerator also had a vacuumed-sealed door to keep the air inside cool. 

​Because of Dr. Elkins work, we can now properly store important medicines, like insulins, antibiotic liquids, eye drops, and creams.​

Dr. Henry T. Sampson co-invented the gamma-electric cell, which converts the energy generated from gamma rays into electricity. This invention made it possible for cellphone technology to exist. ​Another example of how yesterday’s innovations paved the way for how we communicate today!​

Dr. Jane Hinton was one of the first Black women to become a doctor of veterinary medicine in the United States. Prior to her studies, she helped develop the Mueller-Hinton agar, a culture in which bacteria can thrive, making it one of the standard methods to test bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Learn about our company’s animal health business.​

Dr. Lloyd B. Mobiley introduced the use of the intramedullary pin and other orthopedic surgical devices to repair long-bone fractures in animals, which are still used in veterinary medicine today. ​​

Dr. Wendell O. Belfield used large doses of sodium ascorbate therapy to treat high fevers and distemper at his veterinary hospital, making it the first to practice orthomolecular medicine.