Aaron Shirley (January 3, 1933 – November 26, 2014) was an American

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and civil rights activist. Shirley was born in

Gluckstadt, Mississippi Gluckstadt is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. It was a census-designated place and unincorporated community until the municipal incorporation of the City of Gluckstadt became effective in June 2021. The city is located along ...

. He was Chairman of the Board for the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation, and an associate professor in pediatrics at the

University of Mississippi Medical Center University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) is the health sciences campus of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and is located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. UMMC, also referred to as the Medical Center, is the state's only aca ...

. He was a graduate of

Tougaloo College Tougaloo College is a private historically black college in the Tougaloo area of Jackson, Mississippi. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It was originally established in 1869 by New Yo ...

and

Meharry Medical College Meharry Medical College is a private historically black medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, it was the first me ...

. Dr. Blair E. Batson, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at

, offered him a position in the department's residency education program. Shirley became the first African-American learner at UMMC when he entered the residency program in 1965. For a long time, Shirley was the only black pediatrician in the state of Mississippi. He was not dedicated to non-violence; upon hearing that the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

was heading to his home, he warned the local police that his sons knew how to shoot. He also was known for installing wells to provide clean drinking water and for traveling the countryside to care for sick babies. He was married to Ollye Shirley; they had four children. He was a member of the

Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, E ...

, and Citizens' Health Care Working Group. In 1970, Shirley co-founded Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, the largest Federal Qualified Community Health Center within the state of Mississippi to provide medical care for the underserved. In 2010, Shirley founded the HealthConnect program. Modeled after a similar program in Iran, the program sends doctors and nurses to poor rural homes to help prevent unnecessary ER visits. Shirley died of natural causes in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

, on November 26, 2014. He was 81. Gov.

Phil Bryant Dewey Phillip Bryant (born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 64th governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 31st lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2008 to 2012 and 4 ...

declared December 6, 2014 as “Dr. Aaron Shirley Day” in the state. Also, Jackson City Councilman Melvin Priester Jr. presented Shirley's family with an American flag that flew over the White House the previous week in Shirley's honor. It was sent by President Barack Obama and 2nd District U.S. Rep.

Bennie Thompson Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Thompson has been the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2019 and from ...

Awards

*2013 American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. AACE Outstanding Service Award for Promotion of Endocrine Health of an Underserved Population. (https://pro.aace.com/about/awards/past-award-winners) *2013 Citizen Diplomat Award *2009 Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence Award *2007 Mississippi Majesty Honoree *1993

MacArthur Fellows Program The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...

References

External links

"Dr. Blair Batson on Dr. Aaron Shirley's arrival at UMC"
''Winter Institute'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Shirley, Aaron 1933 births 2014 deaths Physicians from Mississippi Tougaloo College alumni Meharry Medical College alumni MacArthur Fellows University of Mississippi faculty People from Madison County, Mississippi Members of the National Academy of Medicine 20th-century American physicians 21st-century American physicians 20th-century African-American physicians 21st-century African-American physicians American pediatricians