Solomon Carter Fuller, M.D.

Born in 1872 in Liberia, psychiatrist and neurologist Dr. Solomon C. Fuller made significant contributions to the development of modern psychiatry with his published studies on Alzheimer's disease and by training the next generation of psychiatrists as a professor for over 30 years at Boston University. He was America's first black psychiatrist and one of the first black physicians to hold faculty rank at an American medical school. After earning his M.D. from Boston University School of Medicine in 1897 and beginning his over 20 years of work at Westborough State Hospital in Massachusetts,

Dr. Fuller pursued advanced study in mental health, taking courses at the Carnegie Laboratory in New York and working in 1904 with Emil Kraepelin, M.D., and Alois Alzheimer, M.D., at the University of Munich's psychiatrist clinic. Dr. Fuller overcame barriers to advance his profession and help further society's understanding of dementia and mental illness. In recognition of his achievements, the APA in 1969 established the Solomon Carter Fuller Award to honor pioneering black citizens.

Painted by N. Willette Page