February is Black History Month.
Black women have made many inventions and discoveries that have improved public health and advanced technology. Thanks to the vision, determination and dedication of Black female scientists and inventors, healthcare providers can better identify, treat and even prevent potentially deadly health conditions.
Technological achievements aren’t limited to Black women with advanced degrees in medicine and science. The simple sanitary belt, an invention that made menstrual protection more accessible and comfortable for all women, emerged from the hands of Mary Kenner, a Black woman who recognized an unmet need and worked to find a solution.
It’s a common story for many of the Black female healthcare pioneers being recognized this month – they identified a gap in care for women and people of color, and aimed to fix it. Here are just a few of their healthcare innovations.
1. Laserphaco probe – Patricia Bath, M.D.
Invented by Patricia Bath, M.D., this device and technique revolutionized cataract surgery by removing the lens, making the incision and vacuuming out the fragments.
As an eye clinic intern at Harlem Hospital and Columbia University, Bath noticed that more of the patients in Harlem, a majority Black community, were blind or visually impaired than patients at Columbia. That led her to conduct a study that found blindness among Black patients was double that of white patients, and she concluded the disparity was due to lack of access to ophthalmic care.
Her work in creating the field of community ophthalmology increased screening for underserved populations, a practice now prevalent around the world, and led to earlier treatment for vision-related issues. As a laser scientist and inventor, her interest, experience and research on cataracts led to her invention of a new device and method to remove cataracts — the laserphaco probe.
Bath was the first Black woman to receive a medical patent and the first Black woman to complete an ophthalmology residency at New York University. She was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2021.
2. mRNA-1273 technology – Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire, Ph.D.
When Covid-19 became a worldwide pandemic in 2020, the world’s top researchers began work to create a vaccine against the virus. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire, Ph.D. led the team at the National Institute of Health (NIH) that developed this technology, which was used to create Covid vaccines.
Today, she’s an assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Freeman Hrabowski Scholar.
3. Herpes zoster (shingles) virus – Evelyn Carmon Nicol
Immunologist and microbiologist Evelyn Carmon Nicol was the first person to isolate the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and shingles, in tissue culture. She was also one of the first Black women to receive a patent for molecular biology.
Other achievements included assisting with polio vaccine development by culturing the virus in HeLa cells; developinga test for Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis; and developing some of the first commercial test kits for HIV.
4. Adjustable sanitary belt – Mary Kenner
Mary Kenner invented an adjustable sanitary belt with a moisture-proof pocket to reduce staining from menstrual blood.
Kenner came from a family of inventors, and grew up tinkering with everyday items to find effective solutions. Although Kenner started college at Howard University, she dropped out for financial reasons and became a florist. Kenner still used her free time to work on inventions and received five patents, including the sanitary belt in 1957.
Before adhesive maxi pads were developed, nearly all women used sanitary belts to hold pads in place in their undergarments. At the time, the sanitary belt represented freedom from balled up rags or towels that often shifted and failed to stay in place, leading to staining of clothes, discomfort and embarrassment. Kenner said a company expressed interest in marketing her idea but backed away when they learned she was Black.
In 1976, Kenner also patented a walker with an attachable tray and pocket – which she created after her sister was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
5. Newborn sickle cell screening – Marilyn Hughes Gaston, M.D.
Marilyn Hughes Gaston, M.D. published a study that led to a nationwide screening program to test newborns for sickle cell disease, allowing them to receive immediate treatment.
Before publishing her study in 1986 while working at the National Institutes of Health, Gaston worked for years as a pediatrician in Cincinnati. But years earlier, as an intern at Philadelphia General Hospital, she admitted a baby with a swollen hand. Unable to determine why the baby’s hand was swollen, Gaston’s supervising resident suggested she look at blood work for evidence of sickle cell disease, which the baby had.
That incident made Gaston dedicate her life to studying sickle cell disease in children and push for routine screening. She found that early treatment could help prevent sickle cell disease complications, saving the lives of countless children. Newborn sickle cell disease screening is now a routine public health service practice.
6. Illusion transmitter – Valerie Thomas
Invented by Valerie Thomas, this device uses concave mirrors to create optical illusion images. NASA later used Thomas's technology in its satellite technology. Thomas grew up dreaming of working with electronics, but didn’t get the opportunity until she majored in physics at Morgan State College. In her senior year, after signing up for a chance to speak to job recruiters, she heard from a NASA representative who wanted to hire her after graduation.
At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, Thomas worked on numerous projects and became adept with computer technology. She contributed to Landsat image processing software systems, which deliver images of the Earth’s surface. She later invented and patented the illusion transmitter — a type of 3D display technology used in surgery.
