A September to Remember: Celebrating Women in Medicine

“A blank wall of social and professional antagonism faces the woman physician that forms a situation of singular and painful loneliness, leaving her without support, respect or professional counsel.”¹

Such were the words of Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910), the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States in 1849 from Geneva Medical College, New York. The exact date of her quote is unknown, but it is easily more than 100 years old. It is encouraging to see that some progress has been made, but discouraging to see the chasm that still exists in the treatment of male and female physicians.

September is celebrated as “Women in Medicine” month by many medical professional organizations. It is a month where we recognize the contributions and successes of our female colleagues. There have been many successful trailblazing women physicians who have served as expert clinicians, educators, researchers and administrators. As noted in this issue of SGIM Forum, SGIM has been a strong advocate for female members during its history² and SGIM members continue to challenge the status quo regarding women’s health care.³

As a male physician, my understanding of this critical issue is informed by my female colleagues, review of the literature, and personal observations. Current literature repeatedly demonstrates that inequities remain for equitable pay, academic promotion, and leadership positions. All SGIM members must advocate for the fair and equitable treatment of all colleagues regardless of gender, race, social background, etc. As we celebrate “Women in Medicine” month, take a moment to thank our female colleagues for their hard work and contributions to medicine.

To spotlight “Women in Medicine,” see how many of the following history questions related to famous women in medicine^{4, 5} you can answer—answers are posted at the end of the article:

1. 1849: She became the first woman to earn a U.S. medical degree. After being turned down by 10 medical schools, she was eventually accepted by and graduated from Geneva Medical College in New York. She also founded the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children to serve the poor in 1857, and the Woman’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary in 1867.
2. 1854: In 1850, she entered the first class of the Female (later Woman’s) Medical College of Pennsylvania, and later became a professor there. When the Philadelphia Medical Society barred female physicians from training in clinics, she recruited an all-women board to establish a hospital where women could train. In 1866, she was appointed dean of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, this becoming the first female dean of a U.S. medical school.
3. 1861: She became the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army. Denied a commission as a medical officer because of her gender, she volunteered to work on the Civil War battlefields caring for the wounded. She was eventually appointed assistant surgeon of the 52nd Ohio Infantry. After being taken prisoner in 1864, she became the first woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
4. 1864: She became the first Black American woman to earn a medical degree. In the post-Civil War period, she cared for freed slaves who did not have access to medical care. She was also one of the first African Americans to publish a medical book, Book of Medical Discourses.
5. 1889: When she was young, she saw a Native- American woman die because a white doctor refused to care for her. Years later, she became the first Native- American woman in the United States to earn a medical degree graduating from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania at the top of her class in 1889. In 1913, she achieved a lifelong dream by opening a hospital in the remote reservation town of Waterhill, Nebraska.
6. 1953: She devised the first tool to scientifically assess a neonate’s health risks and need for potentially life-saving observation. The 10-point score is still considered the gold standard for determining the health of a newborn. She was also the first woman to head an academic department and hold a full professorship at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
7. 1969: She published On Death and Dying, a pivotal book that revolutionized the treatment and understanding of dying patients. This Swiss-American psychiatrist was an advocate for better treatment of the mentally ill and the terminally ill, and is known for defining the five stages of grief. Her work was a catalyst for modern hospice care, living wills and the death with dignity movement.
8. 1983: She became the first female president and sixth overall president of the “Society for Research and Education in Primary Care Internal Medicine” (SREPCIM) which later became the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) in 1988.
9. 1990: She became the first woman and the first Hispanic to serve as U.S. Surgeon General. Novello’s career spanned academia, private practice and the U.S. Public Health Service, where she became a leader in AIDS research.
10. 1993: She became the first African- American Surgeon General of the United States and the second woman to hold that position. She did not see a doctor until she was 16 years old. With funding from the GI Bill, she graduated in 1960 as the only woman in her class. She was forced to resign in 1994 after coming under fire for several controversial statements on such topics as sex education, masturbation, and the distribution of condoms in public schools.

Perhaps this will prepare you for #SGIM25 trivia night!

Answers:

1. Elizabeth Blackwell, MD
2. Ann Preston, MD
3. Mary Edwards Walker, MD
4. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD
5. Susan LaFlesche Picotte, MD
6. Virginia Apgar, MD
7. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, MD
8. Suzanne Fletcher, MD
9. Antonia Novello, MD
10. Joycelyn Elders, MD