Leslie Falk was born April 19, 1915, and grew up in St. Louis, Mo. After attending University of Illinois and Washington University (St. Louis), Falk received a Rhodes Scholarship, which allowed him to attend Oxford University, 1937-1940, where he helped in developing a process for extracting penicillin from mold. In 1942, Falk received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. From 1948-1967 he served as the Area Medical Administrator for the United Mine Workers Association (UMWA). In the 1960s, Falk was part of the medical team that provided health care to civil rights workers in Mississippi. In 1967, Falk was recruited to Meharry Medical College, a historically Black college (HBCU) in Nashville, Tenn., where he served on the faculty of the Department of Family and Community Medicine until his retirement in 1987. The Student Health Coalition (SHC) collaborated with Leslie Falk and other Meharry faculty and students to expand the reach of community health services.
Related Content:
