This annual public health lecture series is named in honor of the historic Homer G. Phillips Hospital in St. Louis, the premier training ground for African American medical professionals.
Although this historic hospital closed its doors on August 17, 1979, we can learn much from its history, presented by the very people who worked diligently to provide culturally sensitive care to the patients who so deeply trusted and loved them.
Medicine – Today’s Challenge
Friday, October 25, 1996 | 5:30 PM
Washington University School of Medicine, Eric P. Newman Center (EPNEC) | 320 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
Guest Speaker
LaSalle Leffall Jr., MD
Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery, Howard University Hospital
Honoree
William L. Smiley, MD
Acting Director of Laboratories and Pathology, Homer G. Phillips Hospital
Chief of Obstetrics/Gynecology St. Louis Regional Medical Center’s Ambulatory Care Division
William L. Smiley, MD completed his residency in Obstetrics/Gynecology (OB/GYN) at Homer G. Phillips Hospital. During World War II, he was acting director of laboratories and pathology at the hospital, while also practicing in OB/GYN. After the war, he became one of the first physicians employed full time at the hospital and was supervisor of OB/GYN in a program affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine. As such, he helped develop a training program for house staff, and he joined the medical school faculty. Later in his career, he became the first black physician to operate at Depaul Hospital and the first black president of the St. Louis Gynecological Society.