Rosalyn P. Scott

Rosalyn P. Scott (born 1950) is an American thoracic surgeon known for her work in education and for being the first African-American woman to become a thoracic surgeon.

Early life and education Scott was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, and was inspired to become a physician by both her father and uncle. Her father was a dentist, and his dental office was the source of Scott's early exposure to medicine. She helped there on Saturday mornings by cleaning dental instruments, editing information on charts, and organizing patient documents.

Scott attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, for her undergraduate education, and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1970.

Scott has been a pioneer for African-American women in the field of thoracic surgery and surgical education. She was the first African-American woman to become a thoracic surgeon and she was also the first African-American woman to be admitted to the Society of University Surgeons. She co-founded two organizations to support other surgeons and encourage students to fight discrimination: the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, which was founded in 1986, and the Association of Black Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons, which was founded in 1999.

Honors, awards, and distinctions The first African-American woman to be trained in thoracic surgery (1977) The first Mary A. Fraley Fellow, Texas Heart Institute (1980) Founding member, Society of Black Academic Surgeons (1986) First African-American woman to become a member of the Society of University Surgeons (1995) Founding member, Association of Black Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons (1999) Former President, Women in Thoracic Surgery