Alvin Crawford, MD, the first African American to attend and graduate from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, will return to his alma mater Monday, February 26, for a celebration and book signing of his recently published autobiography, a presentation on his research, and visits with students.
A 1964 College of Medicine graduate, Dr. Crawford is a renowned expert in spinal deformities and neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. He recently retired as the founding director of the Crawford Spine Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and is a professor emeritus of Pediatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Dr. Crawford will sign copies of his autobiography, “The Bone Doctor’s Concerto: Music, Surgery, and the Pieces in Between,” at a public reception at 6-8 p.m. in the Mooney Library on the UT Health Science Center campus in Memphis, 875 Monroe Ave.
Published in November, the book details Dr. Crawford’s journey from growing up in Memphis’ Orange Mound community to having a groundbreaking medical career that includes traveling the world as a surgeon for the Navy. Dr. Crawford tells about his time playing in jazz bands in the South, how he considered pursuing a degree and career in music, and how he overcame racism, segregation, and other challenges along his way to becoming an influential leader in the field of medicine.
Read more at our UTHSC news site.