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Endowed Chair Will Help Nursing School Reduce Health Disparities
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Ernie Bates
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As a neurosurgeon, Ernie Bates, MD, remembers days when his only assistants in the operating room were nurses. "Doctors and nurses
form such a partnership," he says.
"Nurses just don't get enough credit," he continues. "Nobody extols them enough. Doctors, in particular, don't support them as much as they should. Where would we be without nurses?"
Bates' appreciation of nurses comes not only through his medical practice, but also from his own mother, who was a licensed vocational nurse (LVN).
"She was a remarkable lady. By day she was a janitor, but she really liked nursing, so she went to night school and got her credentials. She would take care of shut-ins and most of the time never got paid."
It's in her honor that the Ernest Bates Foundation contributed $250,000 to help establish the Sally Bates Endowed Chair in Health Disparities in the School of Nursing. The gift will support research, teaching, and service activities related to underserved and minority populations.
Bates believes in leveling the playing field. His mother received her teaching credentials in the early '30s from an all-black college in Virginia, but when she moved to New York the state wouldn't accept her credentials. His father left school after third grade, and couldn't read or write. "But he was able, with those limited skills, to start a business, and at one point had 100 people working for him," Bates says.
Bates found his own way past discrimination and segregation. He was deemed a pioneer when he was accepted at Johns Hopkins University as an undergraduate; his acceptance letter stated he would be the very first "negro" in the School of Arts and Sciences. But when he wanted to pursue a degree in medicine at Hopkins, he was advised against applying to the university's medical school, which was still segregated. Instead, he received his MD from the University of Rochester and completed a residency at UCSF. He went on to become the third board-certified African-American neurosurgeon in America.
Bates is a pioneer in more than just medicine. In 1977 he founded American Shared Hospital Services, now a world leader in providing surgical operating equipment and innovative medical technology. In 1998 he started a winery in Napa Valley, Black Coyote, becoming one of only seven African-American vintners in the country at the time.
Along the way, Bates has become well known for his philanthropy and service to the community. "I believe in giving back," he says. "My parents taught me to share, and that's the lesson I'm trying to teach my two sons – the importance of sharing and giving."
"The Sally Bates Chair will be an enduring testament to Ernie's values and vision," says Dean Kathy Dracup, RN, FNP, DNSc '82, FAAN. "It will help shape the future of the school as we strive to address the health care needs of all members of our society."
For information on supporting the School of Nursing, contact Mark Boone at 415/502-8310 or mboone@support.ucsf.edu.
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