The walls of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia are covered with the portraits of accomplished College Fellows. This month, we welcomed a fresh face to the portrait collection: Dr. Nathan Francis Mossell.
In 1882, Dr. Mossell became the first African American graduate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He helped found the Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital and Training School in West Philadelphia in 1895, where he served as chief-of-staff and medical director until his retirement in 1933. He was also the co-founder of the Philadelphia Academy of Medicine and Allied Sciences as well as the National Medical Association. He is also the uncle of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, after whom the is named. You can learn more about Dr. Mossell's accomplishments and contributions to medicine .
We are honored to have his visage grace the hallways of the College.