1. Justina Ford was the first licensed African American female doctor in Denver, Colorado, and practiced gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatrics from her home for half a century.
11 Facts About Justina Ford
1. 2.
Justina Ford was one of many children and often accompanied her mother, a nurse, when she tended to patients.
3.
Justina Ford worked briefly at an Alabama hospital before relocating to Denver in 1902.
4.
Since African Americans were barred at the time from working in hospitals or joining the Colorado Medical Association, Justina Ford set up a private practice in her home in Five Points, where she specialized in gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatrics.
5.
Justina Ford practiced medicine from her home for 50 years, serving a diverse clientele that included "poor whites, African-Americans, and non-English speaking immigrants who were turned away from hospitals".
6.
Justina Ford was affectionately called "The Lady Doctor" by her patients.
7.
In 1950, Justina Ford was allowed to join the Colorado and American Medical Associations; she became a member of the Denver Medical Society and began working in the Denver General Hospital.
8.
Dr Justina Ford received the Human Rights Award from Denver's Cosmopolitan Club, in 1951.
9.
Justina Ford continued to practice medicine until two weeks before her death in 1952.
10.
Justina Ford was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1985 and was named a "Medical Pioneer of Colorado" by the Colorado Medical Society in 1989.
11.
In 1998, a sculpture of Ford holding a baby, made by Jess E DuBois, was erected outside her house.