Natalia Tanner

Natalia Tanner (June 28, 1922 – July 14, 2018) was an American physician. She was the first female African-American fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is known for her activism promoting women and people of color in medicine and fighting health inequality in the United States.

Early life and education Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Tanner moved to Chicago where her father, Joseph Rush Tanner, practiced medicine, and her mother, Doris Murphy Tanner, stayed home to care for the family. She attended Englewood High School, graduating in 1939. Tanner spent the first two years of her undergraduate education at Fisk University, in Nashville, Tennessee, then transferred to the University of Chicago's premedical program. After earning her bachelor's degree, she attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville. While at Meharry Medical College, she was a member of the first sorority, at Meharry, Delta Sigma Theta, and acted as treasurer. Tanner graduated in 1946, then moved to New York City, where she was an intern at Harlem Hospital in 1946 and 1947. She then returned to the University of Chicago for her residency in pediatrics, becoming the institution's first African-American resident. She also trained at Meharry's Hubbard Hospital for a time; she finished her postgraduate education in 1950. where she became the city's first African-American board-certified pediatrician.

Honors and awards Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics (1951) Executive board, Society for Adolescent Medicine (1969) Pediatrics chair, National Medical Association (1969) Outstanding Achievement Award in Adolescent Medicine, Society for Adolescent Medicine (2001) Distinguished Service Award, National Medical Association (2001) Distinguished Alumnus Award, Children Hospital of Michigan (2003) Distinguished Warrior Award, Detroit Urban League (2003) Pediatrician of the Year William Montgomery Award, Michigan chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (2008) Member, Wayne County Medical Society Member, Michigan State Medical Society Member, National Medical Association Member, Detroit Medical Society Member, Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Member, Society for Adolescent Medicine Member, United Pediatric Society