Marjorie Cates, M.D.

Marjorie Cates, M.D.

The name Marjorie Cates holds a special place in the history of the medical center. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Dr. Cates broke barriers when she became the first African American woman to graduate from KU School of Medicine in 1958. Following graduation, Dr. Cates had a notable career in hematology and was a vocal advocate for sickle cell awareness. Over the course of her career, Dr. Cates held positions at Howard University and the U.S. Department of the Interior until her untimely passing in 1991 at age 61.

Marjorie Cates was born in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 30, 1930, to Clarence and Anna Cates. The youngest of ten children, Marjorie attended Sumner High School before entering Kansas State College (now Kansas State University) in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1948. She attended Kansas State College until 1952, when she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in home economics and medical technology. Following graduation, Marjorie completed additional pre-medical coursework at the Minnesota General Hospital and the University of Minnesota.

After attending Kansas State College, Marjorie applied to the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas. In her application, she expressed her “sincere desire to make a worthwhile contribution to humanity,” and noted her interest in “the human body and the sciences related to it.” She was accepted for the 1954 academic year, becoming the second African American woman to enter the program. Geraldine Mowbray, M.D., preceded Marjorie, entering KU School of Medicine in 1937. Dr. Mowbray did not complete her degree at the University of Kansas, instead graduating from the Howard University College of Medicine in 1941.

In 1958, Marjorie graduated with her medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. In doing so, she became the first African American woman to graduate from the program. Like Dr. Edward Vernon Williams, who in 1941 became the first African American student to graduate from the School of Medicine, Marjorie helped to topple barriers imposed on African American students wishing to attend medical school at the University of Kansas.

After graduation, Dr. Cates relocated to Washington D.C., where she completed her internship at Freedmen’s Hospital (now Howard University Hospital) and residency at D.C. General Hospital. Later, Marjorie continued her postdoctoral education at some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning. She completed three years of additional study in hematology at the New England Medical Center, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

Dr. Cates then set out on a notable career in both the private and public sectors. Throughout her career, she taught hematology at Howard University, served as assistant director at the Howard University Sickle Cell Center and was named director of health services for the federal Department of the Interior. In 1974, Dr. Cates became the chief medical officer at the D.C. Health Department North Area Health Center.

Dr. Cates was a prolific writer over the course of her career, publishing “Sickle Cell Disease, a Bibliography,” in 1975, and articles in “Blood,” the journal of the American Society of Hematology. She was a member of the Women’s Medical Association, the National Medical Association and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Cates died on July 1, 1991, at age 61 in Silver Spring, Maryland.