In Memoriam: Aaron Shirley, 1933-2014
Filed in In Memoriam on December 8, 2014
Aaron Shirley, the first African American resident at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, died on November 26 in Jackson, Mississippi. He was 81 years old.
Dr. Shirley was a native of Gluckstadt, Mississippi. He was a graduate of Tougaloo College in Mississippi and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dr. Shirley served as a clinical instructor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Mississippi for more than 40 years. He was a the co-founder of the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center and was chair of the Jackson Medical Mall, a collaboration of the Jackson State University, Tougaloo College, and the University of Mississippi.
In 1993, Dr. Shirley was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as a genius award, for his creative approach to bringing medical care to the poor and underserved.
