[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 130 (Friday, September 27, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H5897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1100
           CELEBRATION OF THE CAREER OF DR. LEVI WATKINS, JR.

  (Mr. CUMMINGS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Levi Watkins, a 
pioneer in the medical field and civil rights movement.
  After four decades with Johns Hopkins Medicine, Dr. Watkins will 
retire on December 31, 2013. He is a man of many firsts. He was the 
first African American to attend and graduate from Vanderbilt Medical 
School.
  His first scientific breakthrough was his research into the 
connection between the renin angiotensin system and congestive heart 
failure that led to the use of angiotensin blockers in the treatment of 
heart failure. He also performed the first implantation of the 
automatic implantable defibrillator in the human heart.
  Dr. Watkins fought for African Americans' civil rights in the 1950s 
and fought for equal opportunities in education throughout his career, 
increasing minority enrollment at the Johns Hopkins University School 
of Medicine by 400 percent in 4 years.
  I thank Dr. Watkins for all that he has done for our Nation and for 
the legacy he leaves to inspire generations yet unborn.

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