Roland Hart, MD – Class of ‘75

Dr. Roland Hart graduated from Meharry Medical College School of Medicine in 1968 and completed his residency in dermatology at Stanford in 1975, as chief resident from 1974-75. He was appointed to full-time faculty and served as chief of the Santa Clara Valley Dermatology service with one resident in training under his supervision from 1975-77. Dr. Hart continued to serve on the adjunct clinical faculty at Stanford for 38 years, while maintaining an active private practice in the California Central Valley. He retired three years ago and recently reflected on his path into medicine and experience at Stanford Dermatology.

Growing up in rural southcentral Florida, Dr. Hart saw a need for experienced doctors which sparked his interest in medicine at a young age. He received early entry to attend Morehouse College, a private historically black men’s liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia and attended Meharry Medical College for medical school. He interned at Malcom Grow U.S. Air Force Medical Center and also attended the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine in San Antonio, TX serving as a flight surgeon in the Air Force until 1972. More 

As a second year medical student with an interest in syphilis and venereal diseases, he began to explore academic medical opportunities in dermatology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Johnson, the chief of dermatology at Meharry, Roland was encouraged to pursue an elective at Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Walter Lever was chair at the time, an eminent German-born dermatologist and dermatopathologist, and a pioneer in understanding and managing blistering diseases of the skin such as pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid. He was especially well-known for his landmark textbook on dermatology, “Histopathology of the Skin,” published in 1949. Other notables at Tufts during Dr. Hart’s rotation were Drs. Ken Hashimoto and Nicholas Fiumara.

Succeeding Dr. Earl Claiborne, who completed residency at Stanford in 1954, Dr. Roland Hart is the second African American graduate of Stanford’s Dermatology Residency Program. During his time as a trainee, skin of color was woefully underrepresented amidst the local patient population. At the approval of Stanford’s chair of dermatology, Dr. Eugene Farber, Dr. Hart opened an outreach clinic once a week in East Palo Alto to serve the African American community there.

Notably, in the mid-1970’s, Dr. Hart was invited to attend the very first organized skin of color meeting in Washington, DC. At the time there were only 24 African American dermatologist in the United States. Dr. Hart was among a group of thirteen leaders who gathered together to form a new section of the National Medical Association, which later became a component of the American Academy of Dermatology, and was eventually known as the Society of Skin of Color.

Dr. Roland Hart has four children and three grandchildren and is currently enjoying quality time with family during retirement. In closing, he shared: “I’ve always thought of dermatology as visible disease with a strong psycho-social impact on the patient and those around them. I’ve loved teaching residents over the years and would encourage anyone to go into specialty. It’s been a pleasure to see the way the specialty has evolved and to see how new treatments and diagnostic tools, that were not available to us at the time, have impacted the diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders. I want to thank my colleagues, professors, and fellow residents for the enjoyable learning experiences during my time at Stanford.”

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Dorothy Buckner, MD ‘76

Dr. Buckner is a graduate of Howard University Medical College and completed Stanford Dermatology residency in 1976. She maintains a private practice in the South Bay and recently reflected on her path into medicine and experience at Stanford Dermatology.

Dorothy grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. She was named as Valedictorian of her junior high and high school, always involved in clubs and student government, and frequently recognized as the first in many leadership endeavors. She credits her teachers for the inspiration to pursue a career in medicine. She began her academic career at Xavier University with a background in chemistry and biology and completed it as the first African American female graduate of Stanford’s dermatology residency program.

Dorothy grew a family at the same time she was growing her career. She was pregnant with her first child during her senior year in medical school at Howard. She fondly recalls interviewing at Stanford with her family in tow and being welcomed with open arms by the faculty and residents at the time. After an elective rotation at Kaiser in Oakland she was asked to accept a residency position at Stanford one-year sooner than she had planned. It was her first choice so she accepted without hesitation.

During her time at Stanford she developed special relationships with high-profile patients like Lucille Ball, who gave her a special gift upon her departure – an ice bucket with her image. She stayed on as volunteer clinical faculty at Stanford for many years and her leadership in the field has inspired others in her family to follow in her footsteps. Her brother has since gone back to school for medical training and her niece is currently at Georgetown studying internal