Ludlow B. Creary, M.D., M.P.H.
Fellow American Academy of Family Physicians
For more than 50 years, Ludlow B. Creary, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.F.P., has made it his life’s work to serve minority residents of Greater Los Angeles with improved healthcare. In 1971, Dr. Creary and fellow physician Dr. George Jackson, Sr. spearheaded the opening of the historic West Adams Hospital, in the West Adams area of Los Angeles. The groundbreaking facility was the first of its size and scope to be owned and operated by black physicians in California providing over 1,000 jobs to the minority community. During this same period, Dr. Creary was also involved in the creation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital and assisted in the founding of a Specialty Board in Family Medicine.
For over two decades Dr. Creary was Professor and Chair, the Department of Family Medicine, succeeding Dr. David Satcher, our 16th U.S. Surgeon General. During his tenure in the 1980s, he oversaw several new medical education programs, including the first Accreditation of the Department of Family Medicine, where he chaired the Professional Staff Association of MLK Jr. Hospital/Charles Drew Medical Center. Dr. Creary and his team participated in the establishment of the Medex/Physician Assistant Program, now among the leading Programs in the nation. The department, under his leadership, is credited for training hundreds of physician assistants and thousands of medical students and residents.
After retiring from the County of Los Angeles, Dr. Creary and his wife Ruth Creary, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist, purchased the first Visiting Angels’ franchise in the cities of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, offering non-medical care-giving services to seniors and patients during pre and post hospitalization. In addition to having served as Medical Director of Visiting Angels, a non-salaried position, Dr. Creary, has volunteered his time in mentoring students and colleagues, provided expertise in many community health screenings and lectured at various non-profits and medical education programs throughout the nation. Over the years he has served on multiple Boards, including California Blue Shield, the Council of the L.A. County Medical Association, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and the Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation, to name a few. Currently, Dr. Creary is a member of F.A.M.E. Church, the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Coastal Research Group, Charles R. Drew Medical Society, the Golden State Medical Society, emeritus member of the National Medical Association, and Honorary Member, The Hundred Black Men, Los Angeles. Dr. Creary’s many awards span the decades from being named the National Medical Association’s Practitioner of the Year (1976), Family Medicine & Community Betterment Award, Organization of Caribbean American People (1976), Physician’s Award as Active Teachers in Family Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians (1977) Meritorious Service Award; Western Park Hospital Medical Center (1984), Appreciation Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service; Department of Family Medicine, MLK Jr. General Hospital (May 1985). Outstanding Service Award, Board of Directors, California Blue Shield (1977-1986). Departmental Award of the Year, Charles Drew Postgraduate Medical School (1985-1986), Outstanding Leadership Award as President (under Dr. Creary’s leadership the Medical Center received JCAHO Accreditation.) (July, 1990), JAM CAL (Jamaican Calif.) Association for Outstanding Service, Commendation, L.A. County Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite Burke (1995); Distinguished Physician Award from The Minority Health Institute (1996), Life Time Achievement Award for 50 years in Medicine, Cooking with Gabby, Inc. (2010), KCET Television 2015 Local Heroes Award, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Special Needs Network (2017), The Leading Physicians of the World Award (2017), City of Pasadena, Future Stars Basketball Camp Award (2018). Distinguished Service Award from the National Medical Association in August (2018), to his recent April, 2019, induction into the UCLA, School of Public Health’s Alumni Hall of Fame, in the Breslow Lifetime Achievement category. Lastly, the Legacy Award was presented by the National Medical Fellowship, Inc. in June, 2019.
Ludlow B. Creary, M.D., M.P.H., a medical icon, now spends time in philanthropic service as Co-Founder / Chairman of the Drs. Ludlow and Ruth Creary Family Foundation and enjoys special events with his children and Grandchildren. Dr. Creary earned his M.D. from Howard University, M.P.H. from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Long Island University, Brooklyn.
