Influential Women in Medicine

In honor of March being Women’s History Month, here at Access Health we wanted to celebrate by honoring women who were influential in medicine. These inspiring women endured stereotypes and discrimination yet went on to change the face of medicine and make a difference.

Take a look at some of their incredible stories.

Gerty Theresa Cori (1986-1957)

Gerty Theresa Cori was the first U.S. woman to win a Nobel Prize in science. Cori worked alongside her husband Carl as equals, however they weren’t treated as equals. Gerty and Carl met in Prague during medical school. The two moved to Buffalo, New York in 1922 and began conducting biomedical research. Gerty was warned she would ruin her husband’s career if they collaborated, but that didn’t sway her or Carl. Together the couple published dozens of papers and even discovered how glucose is metabolized, which is a key insight for the treatment of diabetes.

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910)

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in the United States to be granted an MD degree. Blackwell had a long journey to achieve this, but after an ill friend of hers insisted she would have received better care from a female doctor, Blackwell was destined to become one. She was turned away from more than 10 medical schools. A professor suggested she disguise herself as a man to gain admission, but Blackwell refused. Blackwell graduated from Geneva Medical College in New York. She struggled to find work, but in 1857 she co-founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children to serve the poor. The hospital supported women hoping to pursue medical careers.

Susan LaFlesche Picotte (1865-1915)

Susan LaFlesche Picotte was the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree. Picotte decided to pursue a medical career after watching a white doctor refuse to help an ill Native American woman. She graduated in New Jersey and then taught at a Quaker school on the Omaha reservation. She graduated from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1889. When she returned home Picotte served a population of more than 1,300. She often walked miles to help people. Picotte achieved her dream in 1913 by opening a hospital in the reservation town of Waterhill, Nebraska.

Here at Access Health, we will continue to celebrate Women’s History Month. Do you know any women in the medical field?