Dr. Alexa Canady _ First African American Neurosurgeon

 

Alexa Irene Canady 

November 7, 1951 -

She is a retired American medical doctor specializing in neurosurgery. She was born in Lansing, Michigan and earned both her bachelors and medical degree from the University of Michigan. 

After completing her residency at the University of Minnesota in 1981, she became the first black person to become a neurosurgeon. This came after the first American woman was board certified in neurosurgery in 1960.
 
Canady specialized in pediatric neurosurgery and was the chief of neurosurgery at the Children's Hospital in Michigan from 1987 until her partial retirement in 2001.

 In addition to surgery, she also conducted research and was a professor of neurosurgery at Wayne State University.

 After her retirement, she moved to Florida and maintained a part-time practice at Pensacola's Sacred Heart Hospital until her full retirement in January 2012.

 In 1989, Canady was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, and in 1993 she also received the American Medical Women's Association President's Award. Dr. Canady was known amongst her peers as a patient-focused surgeon who cared deeply about each of her patients.