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Dr. Vada Watson Somerville

This guide is intended to help students and faculty members find information on Dr. Vada Somerville, DDS.

Dr. Vada Watson Somerville, D.D.S.

In 1918, Vada Watson Somerville, D.D.S., became the first black woman to graduate from USC and the first black woman in California with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.  

Image of Vada Somerville in 1919.

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History of Vada Somerville

Wilson Dental Library Exhibition Picture Credits