We pay tribute to three female physicians who through their struggles and perseverance have paved the way for others to follow:
Elizabeth Blackwell,MD.
Dr. Blackwell graduated from Geneva Medical College in 1849. Reportedly, she was inspired to pursue a medical degree when a dying friend suggested that women physicians would be better able to care for women.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD.
Dr. Crumpler graduated from New England Female Medical College in 1864 . She accomplished this the year before the end of the Civil War. After the end of the Civil War, she returned to her home in Richmond, Virginia to care for newly freed African Americans.
Helen O. Dickens, MD, FACOG.
Dr. Dickens graduated from the University of Illinois in 1933. She was the first African American woman to join the staff and faculty in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1998, the hospital's center for women's health was named in her honor. She is quoted as saying, "It never occurred to me that a woman couldn't do anything, that you couldn't get into medical school, or that I couldn't be a doctor because I was a woman."
*The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) was formed in 1930. The ABOG certifies obstetrician/gynecologists. Board certification is given to those OB/GYNs who demonstrate through testing, special knowledge and professional qualifications to provide health care to women.