Though Dr. Velma Scantlebury dealt with “colorism” in Barbados, she was not prepared for the racism she would experience in the United States.
Upon moving to Brooklyn, New York as a teenager, it was put in her head by high school peers that she was not capable of pursuing or completing a college degree.
However, her mother told her, “you are going to college, don’t listen to that,” says Scantlebury, who is the first African American female transplant surgeon.
She took the advice and was accepted by Long Island University.
With the desire to help others, Scantlebury went on to pursue medical school at Columbia University.
Originally planning to become a pediatrician, she became interested in learning more about the intricate details of the body and decided to pursue the surgical route.
Upon further research, Scantlebury encountered the field of transplant organs, liver and kidneys. She combined her two interests and set her sights toward the pediatric transplantation field.
