The United States (U.S) Embassy in Georgetown has released a statement in recognition of the contribution of Guyanese, Dr. Frank Douglas, on the occasion of Black History Month.
The statement says that “Black History Month spotlight shines on Dr. Frank Douglas, a Guyanese-American medical doctor and researcher.
Dr. Douglas was born and raised in Guyana where he excelled in his schooling, scoring highest in the country in national testing. He earned a Fulbright scholarship to Lehigh University and finished his undergraduate degree in less than three years.
Dr. Douglas earned a doctorate in physical chemistry at Cornell University in 1972 and returned later for his medical degree. His work in several drug studies caught the eye of pharmaceutical companies, and a new career unfolded.
Dr. Douglas is now known as a world-renowned innovator in pharmaceutical research and development. Over the span of his 22 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Douglas led the discovery, development, and market introduction and life cycle management of more than 20 drugs, including the allergy medication Allegra. Great work Dr. Douglas!”
Dr. Frank Lennox Douglas was born on April 30, 1943 in Georgetown. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Lehigh University in 1966. He went on to earn a doctorate in Physical Chemistry from Cornell University in1973. with a thesis on chlorophyll.
After a brief stint working at Xerox, Dr. Douglas moved to New York City to pursue a medical degree from the Cornell University Medical School. After obtaining his MD, Dr. Douglas completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, and a fellowship in neuroendocrinology at the National Institutes of Health.
During several professorships assignments at various universities, as well as numerous positions in the private pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Douglas became known as an anti-racism activist.
Dr. Douglas published an autobiography in 2018, titled Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream.
