Charles DeWitt Watts, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Charles DeWitt Watts

African American surgeon and activist for the poor.

Date of Birth: 21-Sep-1917

Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Date of Death: 12-Jul-2004

Profession: surgeon

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Charles DeWitt Watts (September 21, 1917 – July 12, 2004) was an African American surgeon and activist for the poor.
Watts was the first surgeon of African American ancestry in North Carolina.
Earning his medical degree in 1943 from Howard University College, he was the first African American board certified surgeon to serve in North Carolina.
After surgical training at Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C.
in 1949, he moved to Durham, North Carolina in 1950 and established a clinic to provide access to medical services for the poor.
Breaking the social customs of racial obstacles, he advocated for certification of African American medical students.
He also became a member of many professional colleges including the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine and the American College of Surgeons.
He served as chief of surgery at Durham's Lincoln Hospital and was later one of the key figures in converting it to the Lincoln Community Health Center, a low-priced clinic for the poor.