Distinguished physician, educator and public health professional
Early recipient of the Walter Gray Crump Sr., M.D., Scholarship for Minority Medical Students
Geraldine Burton Branch, M.D. ’36
Hometown: New York, New York
Born: October 20, 1908
Died: July 22, 2016
Geraldine Burton Branch, M.D., was an African American obstetrician gynecologist. She received her M.D. from New York Medical College in 1936, and was an early recipient of the Walter Gray Crump Sr., M.D. Scholarship, created in 1928 specifically to support minority medical students. She received her B.S. from Hunter College in Chemistry and Physics in 1932, and an M.P.H from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1962.
From 1941 to 2001, Dr. Branch worked in New York and California as an ob/gyn, family planning clinician, medical examiner, district health officer, medical director, faculty member and consultant in obstetrics, gynecology, public health and preventive medicine. Following the Watts riots in Los Angeles in 1965, she was instrumental in the founding of the Watts Health Center and active with the Watts Health Foundation.
Dr. Branch later moved to California. After attending a New York Medical College alumni gathering in Los Angeles, Dr. Branch was inspired to continue the legacy of supporting minority students by funding a four-year scholarship through New York Medical College’s Adopt-a- Scholar program to support diverse students.
Dr. Branch passed away on July 22, 2016. She lived to be 107 years old.