Page 8 - Lefall BHM

German, remarked, “I can't afford ever to do less than the best. I don't mind being the first, but I don't want to be the only. But I can't afford to be second-rate."
Recalling a story while a fellow at MSK, Dr. Leffall detailed where a white patient, being treated for cervical cancer, refused to let him examine her. “The woman said, ‘I can’t
cancer detection, most notably breast cancer, and treatment in African Americans. Dr. Charles R. Drew, black surgeon, hematologist and former Chair of Surgery at Howard, widely known for his contribution to the storage and preparation of blood plasma during WWII, would often state that “Excellence of performance will transcend artificial barriers created by man”. Dr. Drew
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let you examine me. I want somebody of my own race to examine me.’ Calmy, he acquiesced. Later that afternoon while on rounds, the attending surgeon told the patient she was being discharged because she refused to be treated by his trainee. The woman became so upset, she begged us to help her, which we did, and we later became friends,” he said. This story helps to embody one of Dr. Leffall’s favorite quotes, “Equanimity under duress”. Adding that “maintaining calmness and tranquility is what will allow you to do what is appropriate in any circumstance.”
Dr. Leffall dedicated his career in academia to championing the cause of improving the black condition by emphasizing the focus on
had a profound impact on Leffall, who would later title his memoirs No Boundaries: A Cancer Surgeon’s Odyssey. Dr. Leffall led a career that directly impacted countless patients, thousands of medical students, and hundreds of residents, including Emory Department of Surgery’s own, Dr. Wendy Greene. Dr. Greene, a graduate of Howard University School of Medicine and resident trainee at Howard Hospital, recounts her experiences with her ‘surgical father’:
“I am reminded of him waxing poetically on the importance of the “Grace Notes” of life. These are the notes that add something extra to the daily chords of life and the care
Black History Month 2021 I Surgeon Highlight