L. Natalie Carroll 1950–

Physician

Earned a Medical Degree

Inaugurated as NMA President

Stressed the Need for Black Physicians

Fought for Preventative Medicine

Selected works

Sources

Dr. L. Natalie Carroll rose to national prominence in August of 2002 when she became the 103rd president of the National Medical Association (NMA). The NMA is the oldest and largest organization of black healthcare professionals in the United States. Throughout her career as an obstetrician/gynecologist (ob/gyn), Carroll has been an outspoken advocate for quality healthcare, with the specific goal of improving the health status of black Americans.

In her inaugural address, published in the Journal of the National Medical Association (JNMA) in September of 2002, Carroll called on the NMA to help transform American medicine “from so-called managed care run by corporate interests, into a viable health care system in which physicians want to be involved; where good medicine is defined by quality service and personal caring; where treatment for patients is determined by what is needed rather than how much it costs; and where doctors are allowed to truly be doctors.”

Earned a Medical Degree

Natalie Carroll was born on January 26, 1950, in Nashville, Tennessee, where her father attended Meharry Medical College. He subsequently became a general practitioner in Houston, Texas, where her mother worked as a librarian. Carroll attended NMA conventions with her father and, by the age of eight, had decided to become a physician. Her mentor, Houston physician Dr. Edith Irby Jones, told Andrew Guy, Jr. of the Houston Chronicle in September of 2002: “When she was a little girl, I’d let her come into my practice and feel the instruments and ask questions… I would have been surprised if she hadn’t become a doctor.”

Carroll studied psychology at Lake Forest College, in Lake Forest, Illinois, for three years then continued her education at Meharry, where she earned her medical degree in 1974. During her senior year at Meharry, Carroll was awarded a scholarship for a community medicine rotation in Jackson, Mississippi, where she conducted a study on the regionalization of kidneydialysis centers.

In 1975 Carroll became the first woman to complete a surgery internship at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. In 1978 she became the first black American woman to complete an ob/gyn residency there. As a board certified ob/gyn, Carroll has been in private practice in Houston since 1980.

Inaugurated as NMA President

In her inaugural address, Carroll told the delegates that the NMA was “the conscience of American medicine.… [W]e are in a crisis… that impacts not only our patients but also our doctors. One of my main concerns is the economic plight of the black physician.” Black doctors were seeing their patient-base and incomes decline, as fewer blacks entered medical school and many more were leaving the profession.

In her keynote speech to the Minority Summit on Tobacco, published in JMNA in December of 2002, Carroll said that black physicians were “frustrated with

At a Glance…

Born LaVerne Natalie Carroll on January 26, 1950, in Nashville, TN; daughter of Carl M. and Ruth (Carter) Carroll; married Warren Dailey, 1975; children: two daughters. Education: Attended Lake Forest College, 1970s; Howard University College of Medicine, pediatric-cardiology clerkship, 1972; Jefferson Davis Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, obstetrics training, 1972; Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University School of Medicine, surgery rotation, 1973; Meharry Medical College, MD, 1974. Religion: Methodist.

Career: Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, surgery intern, 1974-75, ob/gyn resident, 1975-78; Darnell Army Hospital, Fort Hood, TX, Women’s Clinic and Routine Ob/Cyn Care, Quality Assurance Review, chair, 1978-81; Hermann Memorial Hospital, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, associate clinical instructor, 1980-, staff physician, 1980-, Quality Assurance Sub-Committee for Ob/Gyn, 1980-; Houston private ob/gyn practice, 1980-; St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, Houston, Obstetrics Department, chair, 1983-85, Quality Assurance and Utilization Review, chair, 1983-85; National Medication Association, president, 2002-03.

Selected memberships: Alpha Kappa Alpha; American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, fellow; Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural and Minority Health Care, chair; National Medication Association.

Awards: United Methodist Church Global Ministries, Crusade International Scholarship Award, 1973-74; March of Dimes’ Outstanding Service Award; National Medication Association (NMA), outstanding leadership award for chairing Health Policy Committee, 1997, 2000; Aetna, honored black American physician, 2002; Ebony Magazine, 100+ most influential black Americans, 2003.

Addresses: Office —2626 South Loop West, Suite 320, Houston, TX 77054.

the restrictions that have eroded the quality of healthcare—and with the outrageous costs required to practice medicine.’ These include skyrocketing malpractice insurance and reduced and late payments from health maintenance organizations (HMOs), Medicare, and Medicaid. As HMOs have decreased their “fee-for-service” reimbursements, white doctors have taken on Medicaid and Medicare patients—the traditional clients of black physicians. In addition black physicians have been targeted by the government for “possible fraud and abuse,” simply because they treat more of these patients.

Carroll further argued that HMOs exclude competent black physicians by requiring board certification in their fields. Historically most black doctors have not bothered with certification. Carroll told Michica N. Guillory of the New York Beacon in August of 1997, that certification “was purely an academic accolade. It had nothing to do with the quality of medicine or the kind of physician you were. It was put together by HMOs and insurance companies as a means to try and make themselves look better by saying their physicians were board certified.” Carroll called managed care “blatant discrimination on a national level.”

Stressed the Need for Black Physicians

In her inaugural address Carroll told the NMA convention that medical schools may admit black students to “enhance their reputation as a diverse institution, but they foster a high attrition rate in that many of our students do not graduate.” She accused some medical schools of directing black students away from specialties other than primary care, family practice, and pediatrics.

The end result, according to Carroll, is that black patients may have to leave their communities to see a physician. Because Medicare and Medicaid cover fewer procedures and only reimburse doctors “pennies on the dollar,” according to Carroll, fewer black physicians are able to treat the poorest and sickest patients—those most in need of advocacy.

Speaking to Nikitta Foston of Ebony magazine in December of 2002, Carroll lauded the increased number of black women entering the medical profession: “The perception of the admissions process—and moreover, the sexism within the admissions process—has changed and is allowing more Black women to pursue the field…. I think women have been trained to be more empathic and more nurturing.” Carroll told the Houston Chronicle: “I don’t think you’d have as much disparity (in healthcare) if you have people taking care of you who look like you.”

Fought for Preventative Medicine

Carroll has argued that the six-year differential in life expectancy between black and white Americans is due to race and economics that interfere with preventive care and early intervention for medical problems. As president of the NMA she advocated preventative medicine—including routine HIV testing, mammograms, and prostate cancer screening—within the black community. She lobbied congress, fought Medicare cuts, and was widely quoted in the news media. In 2003 Carroll coauthored a study for the NMA on preventing the spread of viral hepatitis within the black community. She has argued for better prescriptiondrug procedures that into account racial and genetic differences, health histories, and other individual factors.

Carroll has been active in countless professional and civic organizations. She served on the boards of the Depelchin Children’s Center and the Harris County Children’s Protective Services and on the Texas Department of Health Advisory Board Commission on Birth Defects and Genetic Abnormalities. She was president of the Lone Star State Medical Association and an officer of the Houston Medical Forum. She is a member of The Links, an organization of professional women-of-color who are active in their communities. In addition Carroll served as board chair of the Riverside National Bank, the first black bank west of the Mississippi.

In her NMA inaugural address Carroll told the audience: “When money dictates the type or degree of care that a patient receives—to such a point that a patient’s well-being, health, and even life is compromised—that is unacceptable. And yet, this defines the very nature of health care in our country today … The health care industry has turned into a playground for profit at the expense of patients and doctors.”

Dr. Carroll lives in Houston with her husband, Warren Dailey, a family practice physician. They have two daughters, the older of whom attended Harvard Medical School.

Selected works

Periodicals

“In Support of Black Physicians: Creating a Just Medical Economy,” Journal of the National Medical Association, September 2002, pp. 752-759.

“Leveling the Health Delivery Field,” Journal of the National Medical Association, December 2002. pp. 1020-1024.

“Implications of Menopausal and Hormonal Therapy for African American and Hispanic Women,” Journal of the National Medical Association, February 2003, pp. 114-117.

(With Rodney Hood, Vladimir Berthaud, Dennis A. Brooks, et al.) “Promoting Prevention of Viral Hepatitis in the African American Community,” Journal of the National Medical Association, April 2003, p. 49S.

“Doctors Play Key Role in More HIV Testing,” USA Today, June 27, 2003, p. A13.

“Annual Health & Fitness Section: Introduction,” Ebony, July 2003, p. 51.

“Diversity in Health Care Delivery a Roundtable for the Pfizer Journal,” Journal of the National Medical Association, August 2003, p. 710.

On-line

“Proud History and Ongoing Challenges,” National Medical Association, www.nmanet.org/Presidential_Archive_Feb2003.htm (February 28, 2004).

“Statement on World AIDS Day,” National Medical Association, www.nmanet.org/pr_120202.htm (February 27, 2004).

“Statement on Medicare Cuts,” National Medical Association, www.nmanet.org/pr_010803.htm (February 28, 2004).

“Minority Health Issues,” The Tavis Smiley Show: National Public Radio, www.discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfld=1242481 (February 28. 2004).

Sources

Periodicals

Ebony, December 2002.

Houston Chronicle, September 1, 2002, p. 14.

New Pittsburgh Courier, August 20, 1997, p. A-1.

New York Beacon, August 6, 1997, p. 18; July 2, 2003, p. 16.

On-line

“L. Natalie Carroll, M.D.,” Public Forum Institute, www.publicforuminstitute.org/activities/2003/dc2/LNCarrollBio.pdf (January 15, 2004).

“L. Natalie Carroll, M.D., Installed as 103rd President of National Medical Association,” National Medical Association, www.nmanet.org/pr_080802.htm (January 17, 2004).

“Meharry Alumnus L. Natalie Carroll, M.D. Installed as 103rd President of the National Medical Association,” Meharry News, www.mmc.edu/MMC/News/Main/carroll.html (January 17, 2004).

“NMA’s President,” Region VI of the National Medical Association, www.region6nma.org/nmapresident.asp (January 17, 2004).

“Speaker Biographies,” National Black Caucus of State Legislators, www.nbcsl.com/conference2002/nbcsl_2002_schedule.pdf (January 17, 2004).

“Study Shows that Genetic Differences in Minorities May Cause Varied Reactions to Medicines,” National Pharmaceutical Council, www.npcnow.org/newsroom/pressreleases/PRnmanpc_indivcare.asp (February 28, 2004.

Other

Additional information for this profile was obtained through an interview with Dr. L. Natalie Carroll on March 22, 2004.

—Margaret Alic