America's leading doctors: from treating heart disease to fighting cancer, These physicians are changing world of medicine.

Frederick's interest is the molecular biology of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. He's also investigating the disparities seen in the outcome of premenopausal breast cancer in African American women. Frederick serves on the board of directors for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.

Terrence M. Fullum, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Title: Associate Professor of Surgery, Howard University; Chief of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Medical Director, Center for Wellness and Weight Loss Surgery, Howard University Hospital

Specialty: Surgery

Fullum often performs surgery that is video-conferenced remotely so that surgeons may learn from his techniques. He is the creator of programs aimed at bringing awareness to the benefits of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery, including The Diverse Surgeon's Initiative.

Eddie Hoover, M.D.

Title: Professor of Surgery, State University of New York, Buffalo; Editor, Journal of the National Medical Association

Specialty: Thoracic Surgery

Hoover is a founding member of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons and Association of Black Cardiothoracic Surgeons. For the last seven years, he has made trips to sub-Saharan Africa to distribute medical supplies and equipment.

Leonel Hunt, M.D.

Title: Director of Spine Trauma, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Institute for Spinal Disorders and Orthopaedic Center

Specialty: Orthopaedic Spine Surgery

Hunt is an adult and pediatric spinal surgeon who specializes in scoliosis and complex spinal disorders utilizing minimally invasive surgical techniques. He is a co-founder of HuntSpine.com, a practice dedicated to providing across-the-board spine care. This expert lectures on innovative treatments of spine-related pain.

Lynt Johnson, M.D., M.B.A.

Title: Professor & Vice Chairman of Department of Surgery, Chief of Division of Transplant Surgery, and Director of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Georgetown University Hospital

Specialties: Transplant Surgery, Hepatobiliary Surgery

Johnson is a leading doctor in transplant surgery and hepatobiliary surgery. One of his greatest achievements was founding the Liver Transplantation Program at the University of Maryland. He serves on the board of directors of United Network for Organ Sharing.

Kathie-Anne Joseph, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.

Title: Director of Research in General Surgery of Physicians & Surgeons, Assistant Professor of Surgery, and Acting Medical Director of Women of Risk, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

Specialty: Ontology

Joseph is the first African American woman to be appointed to the faculty of Columbia's department of surgery. She has focused her research and practice on the area of breast cancer.

Donna Mendes, M.D.

Title: Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery, Columbia University; Senior Vascular Surgeon, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital

Specialty: Vascular Surgery

Mendes is the first African American female vascular surgeon to be certified by the American Board of Surgery. Mendes has focused her latest clinical research on the impact of race on vascular disease. She also conducts procedures to remove plaque from the neck's vessels to prevent strokes and aneurysms.

Lisa A. Newman, M.D., M.P.H, F.A.C.S.

Title: Director, Breast Care Center; Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center

Specialty: Surgical Ontology

Newman engages in special surgical techniques such as the skin-sparing mastectomy and lymphatic mapping/sentinel lymph node biopsy. Newman currently serves as chief national medical adviser for the Sister Network Inc., a national African American breast cancer survivors support organization.

Oluyinka Olutoye, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D.

Title: Associate Professor of Surgery and Obstetrics & Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine

Specialty: Fetal Surgery

Believing all things are possible, Olutoye has done the ultimate in pediatric surgery-operating on an unborn baby still inside its mothers womb. During the fifth month of the pregnancy, Olutoye and fetal surgery colleague Darell Cass removed the tumor covering the baby's tiny heart. Months later, a healthy baby boy was born.

Rogsbert F. Philips, M.D.

Title: General Surgeon and Breast Cancer Specialist, Metro Surgical Associates Inc.

Specialty: Surgery

Phillips is a general surgeon with a special interest in breast cancer. Since 2001, she has been involved in research and clinical trials on a groundbreaking treatment for breast cancer called ductal lavage--the "Pap smear for the breast."

Velma P. Scantlebury, M.D.

Title: Professor of Surgery, Assistant Dean for Community Education, and Chief of Transplantation, University of South Alabama Regional Transplant Center

Specialty: Surgery

With more than 23 years of experience, Scantlebury is a transplant surgeon credited with more than 1,000 kidney transplants in adults and children. She is the first African American woman transplant surgeon in the U.S. Her research interests include outcomes of organ donations and transplantations in African Americans.

Steven C. Stain, M.D.

Title: Chair, Department of Surgery, Albany Medical Center; Vice Chair-elect, American Board of Surgery

Specialty: Surgery

Stain is a general surgeon with a special interest in liver and pancreatic surgery. He was an active participant and co-principal investigator in the alliance between Vanderbilt Ingrain Cancer Center and Meharry Medical College, which recently landed a $10 million grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health.

Patricia L. Turner, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Title: General Surgeon, University of Maryland Medical Center; Medical Director, Surgical Acute Care Unit, and Assistant Professor, Surgery, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Specialty: Laparoscopic Surgery

Turner's clinical research interests focus on improvements in laparoscopic surgery, specifically the laparascopic approach to abdominal surgery. Turner is committed to the development of new training methods for residents and senior-level surgeons.

UROLOGY

Chiledum A. Ahaghotu, M.D.

Title: Associate Professor and Chief of Urology, Howard University College of Medicine, President of Medical Staff, Howard University Hospital

Specialty: Urology

Ahaghotu's research focuses on the effective treatment of prostate cancer. His interests target minimally invasive techniques. He has led several medical missions to Nigeria, assisting with the establishment of four urologic endoscopy centers in the country in five years.

James Bennett, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Title: President & CEO, Midtown Urology & Midtown Urology Surgical Center

Specialty: Urology

Bennett is an activist for prostate cancer education. The first Georgia-based urologist to freeze the prostrate gland to kill abnormal cancer cells, he performs clinical trials, authors urological articles, and conducts medical symposiums. He teaches urology at Emory School of Medicine and Morehouse School of Medicine.

Darrell J. Carmen, M.D.

Title: Partner, Georgia Urology

Specialty: Urology

Carmen's practice addresses erectile dysfunction, which affects some 30 million American men, and incontinence. He is trained in penile implant procedures and provides free information sessions to educate men as well as couples on the safety of the procedure and its outcome.

Jenelle E. Foote, M.D. F.A.C.S.

Title: Vice President, Midtown Urology & Midtown Urology Surgical Center

Specialty: Urology

In private practice since 1991, Foote's research investigates sexual dysfunction in men and women. She frequently speaks to both professional and lay groups about urologic issues. She was named the "Continence Care Champion" in 2002 by the National Association for Continence and the Society of Women in Urology.

Lionel B. Fraser Jr., M.D.

Titles: Urologic Surgeon, Metropolitan Urology; Clinical Instructor of Surgery (Urology), University of Mississippi Medical School; Chief of Surgery, Madison County Medical Center

Specialty: Urology

Fraser is a urologic surgeon whose research interests include benign prostatic disease, prostate cancer, impotence, and incontinence. In 2003, Fraser was named physician of the year by the Mississippi Medical and Surgical Association.

Gerald Hoke, M.D., M.P.H.

Title: Assistant Professor of Clinical Urology, Columbia University; Chief of Urology, Harlem Hospital Center; Urology Attending Physician, New York Presbyterian Hospital

Specialty: Urology

Hoke has been appointed to several prestigious committees such as the New York State Prostate Cancer Task Force under former Gov. George Pataki, and the American Urological Association's Practice Parameters and Guidelines Subcommittee. He is also an honorary police surgeon for the New York City Police Department.

Terry Mason, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Title: Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health

Specialty: Urology

Mason emphasizes the body-mind-spirit health connection, advocates better nutrition with regular exercise, and promotes the strengthening of families to achieve healthier communities. A urologist, this nationally known health motivator is on the College of Medicine and School of Public Health faculties at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Curtis Pettaway, M.D.

Title: Professor, Department of Urology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Specialty: Urology