Elders was born in rural Arkansas. She and her seven siblings worked in cotton fields with their sharecropper parents. In 1952, she received a BA in Biology from Philander Smith College in Little Rock. She joined the Army in 1953 and changed her name to Minnie Joycelyn Lee. Following three years of military service, Elders attended the University of Arkansas medical school, receiving her MD in 1960. She worked at the University of Minnesota Hospital and at the University of Arkansas, where she served as chief pediatric resident. In 1967, she received her MS in Biochemistry. She specialized in pediatric endocrinology and became an expert on childhood sexual development.In 1987, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton appointed her director of the state's Department of Health. When Clinton became U.S. President, he appointed her Surgeon General in September 1993. Elders was a strong advocate for health education, including sex education in schools. Due to controversial remarks about masturbation, condom distribution in schools, and the medical use of marijuana, she was forced to resign after only 15 months of service. After her resignation, Elders returned to the University of Arkansas Medical Center as a professor of Pediatrics.