By Chloe Gillespie

During the COVID-19 crisis, the heroic nature of healthcare professionals has become undeniably apparent. While many must stay home, men and women working in health professions have selflessly faced this global crisis head-on. These individuals deserve the utmost respect and gratitude, now more than ever. Inspired by the remarkable work being done by healthcare workers each day, we decided to look back at the history of women's involvement in medicine and healthcare and highlight their contributions to this industry. Many of the following women overcame gender-based discrimination and stereotypes in the healthcare field to achieve excellence and advance medicine.

Elizabeth Blackwell

Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to receive a medical degree in America in 1849. Throughout her career, Blackwell experienced poor treatment and gender-based discrimination by her colleagues. To advocate for women physicians, Blackwell opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857, which provided positions for women physicians.

Florence Nightingale

The notable Florence Nightingale is often regarded as the philosopher of modern nursing. Nightingale is known as the “Lady with the Lamp” for nursing British and allied soldiers during the Crimean war. Following the war, she founded the Nightingale School of Nursing in London, the first scientifically based nursing school. International Nurses Day, celebrated in May, commemorates her birth and recognizes the crucial role of nurses.

Marie Curie

Marie Curie’s remarkable career in science/medicine resulted in her becoming the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and then, the first person to ever win the award twice. Curie, born in Poland, studied physics and mathematics at the Sorbonne in Paris. With her husband, French physicist Pierre, Curie discovered polonium and radium, and contributed to notable advancements in X-ray development.

Gertrude Elion

Biochemist and pharmacologist, Gertrude Elion, assisted in developing drugs to treat numerous diseases, such as leukemia, malaria, and AIDS. After the loss of her grandfather to cancer, Elion became motivated to pursue chemistry. After her impressive career, Elion won a Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988.

Dorothy Hodgkin

Dorothy Hodgkin, an English chemist, is a pioneer of ground-breaking medical science. In 1945, Hodgkin had succeeded at determining the structure of penicillin, leading to her election into the prestigious Royal Society. She later discovered the structure for Vitamin B12, leading to her win the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1964.

Margaret Sanger

Margaret Sanger is attributed with founding the modern birth control movement and for being an influential advocate for women’s health. In the early twentieth century, Sanger found that the ability to control family size could end women’s poverty and birthing-related health issues. After opening the first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, Sanger was arrested. Eventually, Sanger became a prominent figure in the creation of the modern birth control pill.

Mary-Claire King

Mary-Claire King is known for her breakthrough cancer research. After studying mathematics and biostatistics, King received a National Science Foundation fellowship for her graduate research. King completed remarkable research on breast cancer genes, ultimately raising awareness that the disease requires further research. Her impressive work has led to advancements in breast cancer research.

Antonia Novello

Born in Puerto Rico, Antonia Novello became both the first woman and first Hispanic to serve as the United States Surgeon General, an incredible accomplishment. Motivated by her own childhood colon condition, Novello chose to pursue physician training. She was appointed by President George Bush to serve as surgeon general in 1990. Following her time as surgeon general, Novello became a representative of UNICEF, where she specifically advocated for women’s and children’s health.

Wafaa El-Sadr

Wafaa El-Sadr’s medical research has proven to be influential and impressive. Dr. El-Sadr founded ICAP, a leading organization addressing HIV, tuberculosis, maternal-child health, malaria, non-communicable diseases, and health systems on a global scale. Currently, Dr. El-Sadr is a Columbia University Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine.

Celebrating Women in Healthcare