Miles Vanderhorst Lynk had an historic career, pioneering for minority rights in the Mid-South medical community.
Miles Vanderhorst Lynk was born on a farm outside of Brownsville, TN, on June 3, 1871.
Lynk graduated from medical school, became the first black physician in Jackson, TN, and founded the first medical journal published by an African-American. He also was co-founder of the National Medical Association for African-American Physicians.
He established the University of West Tennessee in Jackson to train African-Americans and other minorities to be doctors, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists. The University of West Tennessee moved to Memphis in 1907. Discovering that African-Americans were barred from the local medical society, Lynk founded the Bluff City Medical Society.
In his spare time, Dr. Lynk wrote numerous books and articles.
To learn more about all of our region's history, visit the Pink Palace Family of Museums.
