As the first African-American woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical College, now NYU School of Medicine and the first African-American woman to intern at Harlem Hospital, Dr. May Edward Chinn made significant contributions to cancer research and patient care. Her groundbreaking work paved the way for greater diversity and inclusivity in the field of oncology.

In the early 1930s, she collaborated with George Papanicolaou, renowned for his work on the Pap smear test for cervical cancer, studying cytological methods for cancer detection. Dr. Chinn became a passionate advocate for cancer screening to detect the disease at its earliest stages.

In 1944, Dr. Chinn joined the Tuesday afternoon cancer clinic at the Strang Cancer Clinic, founded by Dr. Elise Strang L’Esperance at Memorial Hospital. Dr. L’Esperance recognized Dr. Chinn’s expertise and invited her to join the Strang Clinic at the New York Infirmary the following year. Dr. Chinn remained with the clinic until her retirement in 1974, promoting cancer screening methods for non-symptomatic patients, routine Pap smears, and the use of family medical histories to predict cancer risk.

Dr. Chinn’s dedication and achievements were recognized throughout her career. In 1954, she became a member of the New York Academy of Sciences, and in 1957, she received a citation from the New York City Cancer Committee of the American Cancer Society. In 1980, Columbia University honored her with an honorary doctorate of science for her outstanding contributions to medicine.