[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 112 (Thursday, July 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. MAY EDWARD CHINN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 7, 2022

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, I rise on behalf of the 13th 
Congressional District of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives 
to honor and reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. May Edward Chinn, an 
American woman physician of Black and Chickahominy descent. It is an 
honor to highlight this remarkable story of dedication and fortitude in 
the field of early cervical cancer detection research.
  After becoming the first Black woman to graduate from Bellevue 
Hospital Medical College in 1926, now known as New York University 
Grossman School of Medicine, May E. Chinn was the first Black woman to 
complete an internship at Harlem Hospital in 1928. Because of 
segregation, hospitals in New York did not grant hospital privileges to 
female physicians of color. Dr. Chinn worked with other doctors in 
Harlem at a private practice, Edgecombe Sanitarium, for patients of 
color. She often rode in ambulances saving injured patients' lives 
before they reached a hospital. Denied the ability to use hospital 
equipment, Dr. Chinn performed surgeries in patients' homes.
  In 1933, she entered Columbia University's School of Public Health 
where she earned a Master of Science degree. Her studies there 
connected her to medical researcher Dr. George Papanicolaou. May Chinn 
contributed to Dr. Papanicolaou's research in developing cytological 
methods for the study of cancer. Those studies culminated in the test 
known worldwide as the Pap Test.
  In 1940, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia declared that Harlem Hospital must 
grant Dr. Chinn hospital privileges. Due to Dr. Chinn's expertise in 
cancer, she was hired at the Strang Cancer Clinic by founder Dr. Elise 
Strang in 1944 and worked there until 1974 while maintaining her 
private practice. She worked as a clinician with the Department of 
Health Day Care Centers from 1960 to 1977. She never married, but she 
offered advice and support to her 19 Godchildren.
  May E. Chinn was the daughter of William Lafayette Chinn of African 
American & Caucasian descent and Lulu Ann Evans Chinn of African 
American & Chickahominy descent. May's mother worked as a cook and 
housekeeper, saved money, and encouraged May to continue with her 
studies. May went to the Bordentown Manual and Training Industrial 
School, a boarding school in New Jersey and spent one year (1901-1902) 
of her childhood on the estate of Charles Tiffany, the jewelry magnate, 
where her mother was a live-in cook. The Tiffany's treated Chinn like 
family and took her to classical music concerts in New York City. She 
later learned to play the piano and became an accompanist to popular 
singer Paul Robeson in the early 1920s. Chinn played classical and 
gospel music throughout her life and performed for African American 
soldiers during World War I.
  For her work in cancer detection, Dr. May Edward Chinn was awarded 
membership into the New York Academy of Sciences in 1954, was 
referenced by the New York City Cancer Committee of the American Cancer 
Society in 1957 and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Columbia 
University in 1980. She also helped found the Susan Smith McKinney 
Steward Medical Society in 1975 to help Black women attend medical 
school. In her honor, the New York Metropolitan Coordinating Council of 
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. established the Dr. May Edward Chinn 
Scholarship awarded to women furthering their education in science. For 
over 50 years, Dr. May E. Chinn served the residents of Harlem.
  Dr. May Edward Chinn provided a road map for helping others. In her 
unpublished autobiography, she wrote, ``Become involved with the 
problems of your Nation, your State, your city and especially your 
immediate neighborhood. Help those with problems--help them to take the 
next step UPWARDS.''
  An unsung pioneer, May Edward Chinn, Black female physician, improved 
the lives of thousands by providing the best health care for 53 years. 
Dr. Chinn's brilliance and perseverance inspires us all.

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