Jacentha Buggs, M.D.

Jacentha Buggs, M.D., Class of 1993, is one of only 12 African American female transplant surgeons in America. A member of the Tampa General Medical Group Transplant Surgical Team, she recovers organs for transplantation and oversees TGMG’s summer research program at the University of South Florida.

She became the first African American physician to complete the General Surgery residency program at USF, then the first African American transplant fellow to complete the Transplant Fellowship with LifeLink® HealthCare Institute, which is now TGMG, Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida.

During a hiatus to marry and raise her family, she served as a health reporter for Bay News 9, a consultant for the international nursing program at Hillsborough Community College and founded and served as director of Summer Enrichment Camp Inc., which she established to cultivate and nurture the self-confidence of  young girls and provide essential life skills.

She has returned to surgery at TGMG. In addition to operating, she has written a play, “The Gift of Life.”