James F. Nabwangu

Dr. James F. Nabwangu (born 1940) a neurosurgeon practicing in the Dakotas was the first student of African descent to graduate from the Johns Hopkins Medical School, and the first doctor of African descent to complete training as a neurosurgeon.

Biography

A member of the Luhya people of Western Kenya, Dr. Nabwangu was educated in a part of that country influenced by British and American Christian missionaries (in particular the Indiana Church of God Missions). A graduate of Kenya's Alliance High School, Dr. Nabwangu's academic performance set records across the entire British Commonwealth. Nevertheless Dr. Nabwangu chose an American education in science and medicine shunning the traditional path of British institutions. Having participated in the Kennedy Air Lift, Dr. Nabwangu made his way to Anderson College (now Anderson University) in Anderson, Indiana.

After reading an article that equated admission to the prestigious Johns Hopkins Medical School with "shoot [ing] for the moon...", he applied, was admitted and transferred to that institution. After completing his basic medical training, Dr. Nabwangu elected neurosurgery as his specialty, and studied under the pioneers of modern neurosurgery, such as Dr. Wilder Penfield at the Montreal Neurological Institute. There he met and married Dr. Marie Joubert, a French Canadian pediatric neurologist, after whom the "Joubert Syndrome" is named. Dr. Nabwangu still practices neurosurgery in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Published works

He is the recent author of "RACE, INTELLIGENCE, AFRICA AND DR. [James] WATSON: A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, autobiographical expose was undertaken in the light of Dr. Watson's recent comments..."