Cora LeEthel Christian was the first native woman of the U.S. Virgin Islands to earn a medical degree, and is a medical administrator in the U.S Virgin Islands. ^[1]

Early life and medical training

Christian was born on Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and graduated first in her high school class. ^[2]

Christian earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1971, where she was the first African-American female graduate. ^[3] After her degree, she completed a residency in Family Practice at Howard University Medical Center and her Master’s in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. ^[1]

Career

After completing her medical education Christian returned to the Virgin Islands, working as an emergency room doctor in Frederiksted, St. Croix. ^[1] In 1977 she was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Health for the Virgin Islands, ^[4] which office she held for the following 15 years. ^[1] In 1977 she also founded the Virgin Islands Medical Institute (VIMI), the Quality Improvement Organization for Medicare hospitals in the U.S. Virgin Islands. ^{[5] [6]}

Christian became the Medical Director of the petroleum refinery Hovensa in 1991 and was its Chief Medical Consultant until the company's closure in 2012. ^[1]

Christian received the American Academy of Family Physicians Humanitarian Award in 2013, ^[6] served on the National Board of the AARP, ^[7] and was recognized by U.S. Virgin Islands' Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives Donna Christian-Christensen on the floor of the 113th U.S. Congress. ^[1]

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