Marilyn Luanna Hughes Gaston, MD, grew up with an innate desire to become a doctor. Her mother, whom she credits for her achievements, was dedicated to helping others despite financial struggles. Dr. Gaston is grateful to have grown up in a home filled with love, and even in the face of adversity she faced as a Black woman from a poor family, she refused to let these factors prevent her from reaching her goals. The tragic and untimely death of her mother from cancer and a lack of access to adequate health care only strengthened Dr. Gaston’s drive to become a physician and treat underserved populations.
Throughout her career, Dr. Gaston’s commitment to making a positive difference in the world has remained her guiding principle. As the co-founder and co-director of The Gaston & Porter Health Improvement Center Inc. for more than 20 years, she provides health consultations and works on providing health care programs in her community. Dr. Gaston is dedicated to addressing the racial disparities in the health care system while improving life expectancy across the country. Motivated to address and mitigate the higher rates of Black individuals dying of underlying health conditions in the United States, her primary goals are to improve the health outcomes of Black women, emphasize preventive medicine, and reduce preventable deaths. Among her professional accomplishments, Dr. Gaston played a pivotal role in advancing research on sickle cell disease on national and international levels. Her critical contributions led to the early identification and testing of newborns for this disease, improving life expectancy for those diagnosed.
Dr. Gaston laid the foundation for her career in medicine at Miami University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in 1960, and later graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine in medicine, pediatrics, and public health in 1984. She then completed an internship with Philadelphia General Hospital and a residency in pediatric medicine at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Gaston is immensely proud of her work with The Gaston & Porter Health Improvement Center Inc., spending significant time with participants to understand their health challenges. She works closely with medical providers to coordinate care and empowers patients with self-monitoring techniques such as checking one’s blood pressure and weight. This approach has been recognized with awards from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association for its efficacy in helping women manage chronic health conditions.
Accustomed to high-level responsibilities, before launching her center, she was Assistant Surgeon General Gaston with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1989 to 2003. She also was the director of the Bureau of Primary Health Care with the U.S. Public Health Service from 1990 to 2002. As the recipient of the National Medical Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Gaston is proud to have been the first Black woman to direct a U.S. Public Health Service bureau. To honor her contributions to health care and service to her community, Marilyn Hughes Gaston Day is celebrated annually in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Lincoln Heights, Ohio. She remains grateful for all the blessings in her life and even regards her experience of poverty as a child as a positive influence on her, as it drove her to live with grit, strength, determination, and persistence in pursuit of her goals. She uses the problem-solving skills she learned in her upbringing every day to help her patients.
Dr. Gaston maintains affiliation with the National Medical Association and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. When she is not busy at The Gaston & Porter Health Improvement Center Inc. or volunteering in her community, she enjoys staying active by playing pickleball and tennis.