Dr. McCottry has set many precedents during her lifetime, among them being the first African-American female physician in Charlotte, North Carolina; the first black female practitioner in obstetrics and gynecology in Charleston, South Carolina; and the first black surgeon to desegregate hospitals in Charleston in the 1960s.

Her achievements were celebrated in November 2005 at Charlotte's Levine Museum of the New South as part of the museum’s "Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians” exhibit.

A Charlotte native, she received a diploma from Barber Scotia Junior College and a Bachelor of Science degree from Johnson C. Smith University in 1941. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Howard University Medical School in 1945, where she was inspired by the renowned Dr. Charles Drew.

After completing her residency and working in Charlotte from 1946 to 1952, Dr. Catherine McCottry moved to Charleston and joined her physician husband, Turner McCottry, in practice. They were the first African-American husband and wife medical team in Charleston.