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Elizabeth Blackwell, MD becomes first woman in the U.S. with a Medical Degree
Dr. Blackwell was born in the U.K. and moved to the U.S. Despite facing major backlash from the community, Blackwell attended Geneva College in New York to become the first ever female doctor in the U.S. Her acceptance was originally intended as a practical joke; however, she ended up graduating first in her class despite discrimination from professors and other students. Blackwell eventually returned to New York and founded a clinic in 1851, an infirmary in 1857, and a medical college in 1868. -
Mary Edwards Walker, MD - First Female Surgeon in the U.S. Army
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker volunteered as a surgeon when the Civil War started in 1861, but was only permitted to serve as a nurse due to her gender. Finally, in 1863, Walker became the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army. While working, she was captured by Confederate troops as a spy in 1864 and held as a POW for 4 months. After her release, she was awarded status of assistant surgeon and given the Presidential Medal of Honor, the first and only time it has been given to a woman. -
Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD - First African American woman to obtain a Medical Degree
Dr. Crumpler was the first ever African American woman to obtain a medical degree and did so in 1864 when she graduated from the New England Female Medical College. Crumpler had worked as a nurse for eight years prior to obtaining her medical degree, as there was no formal certification for nursing. Crumpler later wrote the "Book of Medical Discourses" and worked as a missionary doctor to care for freed slaves after the Civil War ended, facing discrimination in a post-Civil War South. -
Clara Barton founds the American Red Cross
During the Civil War, Clara Barton acted as an "Angel of the Battlefield", caring for wounded Union soldiers in the middle of battle. After the war, at the age of 59, she traveled to Europe, learning about Switzerland's Red Cross, an organization which promoted the idea of caring for sick and wounded soldiers during the war, regardless of the side. As a response, Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and served as its president until 1904 when she retired at 83. -
Dr. Elizabeth Awoliyi Abimbola - First Female Physician in Nigeria
Dr. Abimbola was born in 1910 in Lagos, Nigeria and specialized in Gynaecology and was the first West African Woman to obtain a licentiate of Royal Surgeon in Dublin, Ireland, where she attended medical school. She returned to Nigeria after graduating from the University of Dublin in 1938 as the first ever female physician in Nigeria and eventually served as Medical Director of Massey Street Hospital Lagos. She later founded the Lagos branch of the National Council of Women's Societies. -
Dr. Gerty Theresa Cori - First Woman to win a Nobel Prize for Medicine
Dr. Cori was born in Prague in 1896. After finding out that she didn't have the prerequisite knowledge to study medicine, she learned 8 years of Latin and 5 years of science and math in 1 year. She worked with her husband, Carl Cori, to discover the enzyme which is responsible for decomposing glycogen into glucose, opening the door up for various treatments for diabetes and other conditions. They received the Nobel Prize for Medicine, making her the first female awarded it. -
Henrietta Lacks' "Immortal Cells" and their significance in modern medicine
Henrietta Lacks was an African American tobacco farmer in South Virginia who developed cervical cancer at age 30. The doctor treating her at the time took a sample of her cancer cells without telling her and brought them to a lab down the hall where scientists were attempting to develop tissues in a culture. Her cells were the first immortal human cells ever grown in a culture and these cells served as the basis for the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, and other medical breakthroughs. -
Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Publishes "On Death and Dying"
Born in Switzerland, Dr. Ross immigrated to the U.S. In 1969, she published her most famous work "On Death and Dying", the pre-eminent work on near-death studies and treatment. Her book introduced the five stages of grief and the Kübler-Ross model, demonstrating how to care for an individual at the end of their life. She lectured medical students on near-death treatment, founding more than 50 hospices in the 1980s. She continued to advocate for those near-death until her passing in 2004. -
Tu YouYou discovers Artemisinin, an Anti-Malarial Drug
Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China in 1930, YouYou was a pharmaceutical chemist known for screening traditional Chinese herbal medicine and techniques for modern day applications. Her and her team examined over 2,000 Chinese remedies and discovered several important compounds that could be used to treat common conditions. YouYou and her team discovered Artemisinin in 1972, a compound that helps prevent and cure Malaria, saving millions of lives. She received a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2015. -
Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, PhD, RN, FAAN founds the National Association of Hispanic Nurses
Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, born in Panama in 1920, moved to the U.S. in 1945 and worked as a nurse in San Antonio, Texas. She quickly noticed the lack of Hispanic nurses in the predominantly Hispanic community of San Antonio. In 1975, Dr. Rohde helped found the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, in order to provide education opportunities for Hispanic students to pursue nursing programs. Dr. Rohde continued to educate as a Professor and also served as the Dean of SUNY's School of Nursing. -
Dr. Antonia Novello - The First Woman and Hispanic to serve as Surgeon General in the U.S.
Born in Puerto Rico, Dr. Novella became the first ever female and first ever Hispanic U.S. Surgeon General in 1990 when she was appointed to the post by President George Bush. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and trained in Nephrology and later worked in the National Institutes of Health developing legislation that transformed organ donation and transplantation. As Surgeon General, she fought for children, minorities, and women and focused on combating AIDS and drug abuse. -
Dr. Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA becomes the first African American female President of the American Medical Association
Dr. Harris is a current practicing psychiatrist from Atlanta, Georgia. She was elected to the American Medical Associations Board of Trustees in 2011 and served on the board until she became the 174th President of the American Medical Association in 2018. She is the first ever African American female to hold this post. In addition to this role, Dr. Harris continually advocates for the rights of children and has a particular interest in improving the lives of children through medical policy.
