In honor of Black History Month, we will be highlighting the stories of Black Yale School of Public Health alumni, faculty and community members who shaped our school, public health, the country and the world. Today, we recognize Dr. Virginia Alexander, MPH '41. Dr. Alexander was born in Philadelphia in 1899. She ranked second highest among medical aptitude test examinees after her entry into the Woman's Medical College of PA. Yet, African American physicians were discriminated against in many medical institutions, and no Philadelphia hospital would accept her for practical training. She moved to Kansas City for her internship and within a few years, she was back in Philadelphia, running her own community health clinic and serving on the faculty of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Subsidized by her earnings in private practice, Alexander founded the Aspiranto Health Home in her own home to serve Philadelphia's poor. Alexander began her studies in public health at Yale in...