Dr. Alison Nash spoke of her late father and aunt, Dr. Homer E. Nash Jr., and Dr. Helen Nash with reverence during the 26th Annual Homer G. Phillips Public Health Lecture Series October 14, 2022, on the Washington University School of Medicine campus.
“Their legacy continues to define pediatric care in our region,” Dr. David H. Perlmutter, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean at Washington University School of Medicine, told the audience which include many members of the Nash family.
“They were perfect mentors for life and pediatric care,” she told an audience that also shared earlier in a special dedication of Nash Way in the heart of campus.
“When I worked with dad, that’s where I learned the art of medicine. They both taught me you have to be of the community you are caring for.”
Nash, who was moved as she neared completion of her remarks, said “we must make sure a sense of family is with us as we care for patients.”
The Nash family is truly remarkable.
Her grandfather, Homer C. Nash, was a graduate of Meharry Medical School and served as a physician during World War I.
Helen Nash was the next doctor in the family, followed by her younger brother, Homer.
After completing her residency at Homer G. Phillips Hospital, she became the first African American woman to join the attending staff at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She was instrumental in the creation of one of the first specialized wards for premature infants.
She remained a Homer G. Phillips Hospital staff member, serving as pediatric supervisor and associate director of pediatrics from 1950 to 1964. She was president of Children’s Hospital attending staff from 1977 to 1979 – and she carried on her private practice throughout those years.
Trish Lolo, St. Louis Children’s Hospital president, said Dr. Helen Nash “made enormous contributions for patients and the entire community.”
“This is an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to our values. We must build trust. Trust is built through a sense of belonging. If we do this, our community will be healthier
“Thank you, Nash family, for leading us on this journey.”
Homer E. Nash Jr. not only served in the U.S. Army in Italy during World War II, but he also returned home a hero after receiving a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
He then enrolled at Meharry Medical School and following his graduation moved to St. Louis to train under his sister at Homer G. Phillips.
Like his sister, he immediately sought to reduce health inequities plaguing the city’s Black residents. The Nashes private practice offices both kept their private practices office in the Black community.
Homer Nash was a staff member at St. Louis Children’s and Barnes-Jewish Hospitals. He was a clinical professor of pediatrics at Washington University and worked with the Community Outpatient Practice Experience (COPE) to facilitate community pediatric practicums for WashU medical residents and for physician assistants and nurse practitioners in other programs.
Dr. Nash passed away earlier this year, after practicing and teaching well into his 80s, continually improving the lives of children and the training of students.
“Their legacy continues to define pediatric care in our region,” Dr. David H. Perlmutter, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean at Washington University School of Medicine, told the audience which include many members of the Nash family.
“They dedicated themselves to serving those most vulnerable. Care for the community runs through every member of this family.”
He said the work of the Nashes and dedication ceremony “remind us how far we still have to go to provide equitable healthcare in this community.”
The Homer G. Phillips Public Health Lecture Series is sponsored by the Washington University Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Its roots, though, are at Homer G. Phillips Hospital. The lecture series was established through the work of the Homer G. Phillips Retired Nurses Association, which had several members in the audience.
During his keynote address Donald M. Suggs, St. Louis American publisher and executive editor, spoke of the relationship between Washington University and Homer G. Phillips.
“Without ignoring some of the admittedly past ignominious racist practices here at the Wash U. medical center, in that same point many of its most accomplished and celebrated physicians did become quite involved individually,” he said.
“Their principled involvement was instrumental in creating an unprecedented relationship with Homer G. Phillips Hospital, a relationship that eventually led to improved clinical patient care, and superior training for interns, residents and nurses and allied health care professionals. This collaboration helped to enhance the hospital’s reputation and standing nationally.
“The relationship between these stellar physicians and their counterparts at Homer G. started modestly but in time developed into one of mutual respect and later some genuine collegiality.”
Suggs said he was humbled to be part of the celebration of the Nash’s legacy, adding “Dr. Helen Nash and Dr. Homer Nash are among the most highly regarded and esteemed Black physicians in the pantheon of pioneering Black physicians.”
He recalled Dr. Carl V. Moore, a former chair of the Washington University Department of Medicine remarking to colleagues that “Those of us in medicine enjoy the great good fortune of being surrounded by opportunities to be helpful as physicians or as teachers or as investigators.”
“The two elder Nashes … embraced all three of these roles and instilled those values in Alison. They were exceptional individuals who lived and worked in their communities, while also helping force the reckoning that we speak about today…the extreme disparities in health care in St. Louis. They saw some of the denial that most of the disparities were based on racism not race,” Suggs said.
“They were determined to help provide more high-quality care, and greater access for their patients and others who suffered from these disparities. Even after they gained prominence and acceptance for themselves in the broader medical community, the Nashes remained steadfastly committed to addressing the continuing needs of their patients in North St. Louis.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said she was honored “to celebrate St. Louis’ own medical royalty.”
“We must not only have economic development, but also health development. My mission is to put those two together. We must be committed to the eradication of racism. We still have a long way to go, but we are inspired by the legacy of the Nash family and Homer G. Phillips Hospital.”
Washington University School of Medicine also officially announced instillation of the “Shaping Our Future” timeline at the Steven and Susan Lipstein BJC Institute of Health which “represents our institution’s commitment to addressing all forms of racial bias in our missions of research, education and patient care.”
