Yvonne Thornton
Encyclopedia
Dr. Yvonne S. Thornton, M.D., M.P.H. (born 21 November 1947) is an American
obstetrician-gynecologist
, musician and author
, best known for her memoir, The Ditchdigger’s Daughters.
and raised in Long Branch
, New Jersey
, United States
as the third of five children to Donald and Itasker Thornton. Her father, a ditchdigger, had a dream for each of his six children, all African-American girls, to become doctors
. The struggle and story of this journey in spite of economic, racial and gender-based boundaries later became the subject of The Ditchdigger’s Daughters.
In 1969, Dr. Thornton graduated from Monmouth University
, and was accepted to medical school at Columbia University
College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In 1979, Dr. Thornton and her husband volunteered for active duty in the United States Navy, received her commission as Lieutenant Commander in the Medical Corps and was stationed at the National Naval Medical Center
in Bethesda, Maryland (Hospital of the President).
In 1981, Dr. Thornton became the first African-American woman in the United States to become board-certified in maternal-fetal medicine
. She subsequently practiced at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center in New York, Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Medical Center in New York throughout much of the next two decades. Her expertise as a pioneer in chorionic villus sampling
drew the attention of Oprah Winfrey
, who first invited her on her show in 1993. In 1995, Dr. Thornton wrote The Ditchdigger’s Daughters about her parent’s dream of making their children doctors; the success of the book caught Winfrey’s eye and landed Dr. Thornton a return appearance on the show.
The Ditchdigger’s Daughters was critically acclaimed, translated into 19 languages and was turned into a television movie produced by the Family Channel in 1997, for which Kimberly Elise
won Best Supporting Actress at the 1997 CableACE Awards.
In 1996, Dr. Thornton received her Masters in Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management from the Columbia University School of Public Health
, and in 1997 she published her second book, entitled Woman to Woman. She eventually rose to the rank of full professor and was appointed to the faculty of Weill-Cornell Medical College as Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2003.
in Harlem
, New York
. They have two children, Shearwood McClelland, III, M.D. and Kimberly McClelland, M.P.H. She has been a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
obstetrician-gynecologist
Obstetrics and gynaecology
Obstetrics and gynaecology are the two surgical–medical specialties dealing with the female reproductive organs in their pregnant and non-pregnant state, respectively, and as such are often combined to form a single medical specialty and postgraduate training programme...
, musician and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, best known for her memoir, The Ditchdigger’s Daughters.
Background, education and career
Yvonne S. Thornton was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and raised in Long Branch
Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 30,719.Long Branch was formed on April 11, 1867, as the Long Branch Commission, from portions of Ocean Township...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the third of five children to Donald and Itasker Thornton. Her father, a ditchdigger, had a dream for each of his six children, all African-American girls, to become doctors
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. The struggle and story of this journey in spite of economic, racial and gender-based boundaries later became the subject of The Ditchdigger’s Daughters.
In 1969, Dr. Thornton graduated from Monmouth University
Monmouth University
Monmouth University is a private university located in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States.Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956, and later Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter....
, and was accepted to medical school at Columbia University
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In 1979, Dr. Thornton and her husband volunteered for active duty in the United States Navy, received her commission as Lieutenant Commander in the Medical Corps and was stationed at the National Naval Medical Center
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
in Bethesda, Maryland (Hospital of the President).
In 1981, Dr. Thornton became the first African-American woman in the United States to become board-certified in maternal-fetal medicine
Maternal-fetal medicine
Maternal-Fetal medicine is the branch of obstetrics that focuses on the medical and surgical management of high-risk pregnancies. Management includes monitoring and treatment including comprehensive ultrasound, chorionic villus sampling, genetic amniocentesis, and fetal surgery or treatment....
. She subsequently practiced at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center in New York, Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Medical Center in New York throughout much of the next two decades. Her expertise as a pioneer in chorionic villus sampling
Chorionic villus sampling
Chorionic villus sampling , sometimes misspelled "chorionic villous sampling", is a form of prenatal diagnosis to determine chromosomal or genetic disorders in the fetus. It entails sampling of the chorionic villus and testing it...
drew the attention of Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
, who first invited her on her show in 1993. In 1995, Dr. Thornton wrote The Ditchdigger’s Daughters about her parent’s dream of making their children doctors; the success of the book caught Winfrey’s eye and landed Dr. Thornton a return appearance on the show.
The Ditchdigger’s Daughters was critically acclaimed, translated into 19 languages and was turned into a television movie produced by the Family Channel in 1997, for which Kimberly Elise
Kimberly Elise
Kimberly Elise is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the films Set It Off, Beloved, John Q, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and For Colored Girls...
won Best Supporting Actress at the 1997 CableACE Awards.
In 1996, Dr. Thornton received her Masters in Public Health degree in Health Policy and Management from the Columbia University School of Public Health
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
The Columbia Mailman School of Public Health is one of the schools of Columbia University in New York City. It is one of the first schools of public health recognized by the Council on Education for Public Health and remains a leading academic and research institution. The beginnings of the school...
, and in 1997 she published her second book, entitled Woman to Woman. She eventually rose to the rank of full professor and was appointed to the faculty of Weill-Cornell Medical College as Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2003.
Personal life
Dr. Thornton married her medical school classmate Dr. Shearwood J. McClelland in 1974; he is the director of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harlem Hospital CenterHarlem Hospital Center
Harlem Hospital Center is a 272-bed public, municipally owned teaching hospital in New York City founded in 1887. It is located at 506 Lenox Avenue at 135th Street in the Harlem community of Manhattan.-Overview:...
in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. They have two children, Shearwood McClelland, III, M.D. and Kimberly McClelland, M.P.H. She has been a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
.
Awards and honors
Although most recognizable for the success of The Ditchdigger’s Daughters in literature and television, Dr. Thornton has received numerous honors over the years, including several honorary doctorate degrees. Her new book, Something to Prove: A Daughter's Journey to Fulfill a Father's Legacy, was released in December 2010 and was named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2011 New York Book Festivalhttp://www.newyorkbookfestival.com/.Publications
- (2011) Inside Information for Women: Answers to the Mysteries of the Female Body and Her Health. Ludlow Seminars, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-6098446-3-9
- (2010) Something to Prove: A Daughter's Journey to Fulfill a Father's Legacy, Kaplan Publishing. ISBN 1-607-14724-6
- (1997) Woman to Woman: A Leading Gynecologist Tells You All You Need To Know About Your Body and Your Health, Dutton Adult. ISBN 0-525-94297-1
- (1997) Primary Care for the Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Igaku-Shoin, New York. ISBN 0-89640-324-6
- (1995) The Ditchdigger’s Daughters: A Black Family’s Astonishing Success Story, Kensington Publishing Co. ISBN 1-559-72271-1