Guest Speaker
Candace O’Connor
Author, freelance writer and editor
Honoree
Helen Nash, MD
Professor Emeritus of Clinical Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine
Pediatric Supervisor and Associate Director of Pediatrics, Homer G. Phillips Hospital
Helen Nash, MD broke down racial barriers when she became the first African-American doctor to join the staff of St. Louis Children’s Hospital in 1949, and the only woman among the first four African-American physicians invited to join the staff of the Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Nash completed her residency in Pediatrics at Homer G. Phillips Hospital, and later served as pediatric supervisor and associate director of Pediatrics at Homer G. Phillips Hospital from 1950 to 1964. Nash’s brother, Dr. Homer E. Nash, also completed his residency in Pediatrics at Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Nash also served as president of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital attending staff from 1977 to 1979. Nash was long recognized in the St. Louis community for her commitment to excellence, tireless advocacy on behalf of children, and endless enthusiasm for the field of medicine.
In 2022, for Black History Month, the School of Medicine’s Student National Medical Association featured Dr. Nash in their Black History in Medicine Newsletter.
2021 Lecture Photo Gallery
Photo by Lois Ingrum – Artists Media Co-op
