Florida A&M Graduate Is the First African-American Woman Admitted to the Joint MD/Ph.D. Program at the University of Florida

In the spring of 2009, Brittney Newby, a native of Atlanta, graduated summa cum laude from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She has spent the last year conducting research at the world renowned Boston Children’s Hospital.

Now, Newby is the first African-American woman in history to gain admittance to the joint MD/Ph.D. program at the University of Florida. The University of Florida joint degree program, founded 44 years ago, admits only eight students each year.

Newby plans to become a pediatrician and hopes to conduct research on biological mechanisms in the progression of disease.

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