Dr. Charles L. Curry, born in Reidsville, North Carolina has achieved many great things despite the obstacles of health disparities that were in the way of his professional path.  As a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in 1935, he went on to attend Howard University where he eventually graduated with a medical degree in 1959.  His next major accomplishment is a major milestone for not only African Americans but also for Duke University.  Curry became the first African American resident in the Duke University Medical Center. He went on to become a cardiology fellow at Duke from 1968 to 1969.  Curry ultimately became the director of Howard University Hospital’s Center for Hypertension control and since then has become the Chief of Cardiology, a position that he has held since 1973.

In addition to his hospital work, Curry also served in the United States Army in 1962 at Fort Bragg as a captain during the Vietnam War.

Dr. Charles Curry has received many honors during his professional career, a key one being his Physician of the Year award from the American Heart Association in 1999.  He was given this award because of the outstanding work he did in low-income communities.  He dedicated much of his time to improving the education programs related to high blood pressure in the DC area.  Curry is also the founder and first president of D.C. CARE, a group dedicated to helping people in the DC area living with HIV/AIDS, a member of the Board of Trustees of the American College or Cardiology, a member of the editorial board of the journal of the NMA, and a volunteer for the American Heart Association. 1

• 1. See “Dr. Charles L. Curry Selected AHA ‘Physician of the Year’ ”, <a href=”http://goo.gl/m1ZFM”>The Oracle,</a> Howard University, July 1999.