Levi Watkins Jr., MD (1944–2015)

Dr. Watkins was a renowned cardiac surgeon, champion of racial equality and diversity, and the first African American to be admitted to (1966) and graduate from (1970) Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

He went to Johns Hopkins for his surgical internship and was that hospital’s first African American chief resident in cardiac surgery. He also conducted research at Harvard Medical School into the treatment of congestive heart failure.

After completing his residency, Dr. Watkins joined the full-time faculty in cardiac surgery at Johns Hopkins. In February 1980, he performed the world’s first implantation of the automatic implantable defibrillator in a patient. He remained on the faculty at Hopkins until his retirement in 2013.

In 2008, Dr. Watkins was named Vanderbilt University’s Distinguished Alumnus. He was previously honored with the Vanderbilt Medal of Honor for outstanding medical school alumnus in 1998. He served on the University’s Board of Trust from 2003 to 2013 and is remembered and honored each year at Vanderbilt by the Levi Watkins Jr., M.D., Lecture on Diversity in Medical Education.