Policy Heroes and Women who Rock Public Health
Policy Heroes and Women who Rock Public Health
In celebration of Women's History Month, this month Policy Capsule will feature key public policies affecting women's health. And, this week - celebrating some women superheroes.
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For Women’s History Month, there are many posts and online discussions about the amazing work undertaken by women in medicine. From inventors, scientists, policy gurus, and advocates, there are countless stories to be told. Highlighted in this post are a few of them. As an example. This is by no means a full anthology or bibliography of the women in medicine who have and continue to make great contributions to science and public health. They have paved the way for generations of women in medicine. And their efforts have led to marked improvements in the experience of women in medicine today. Here goes:
Women’s Rights & Maternal Health
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner (1912- 2006)
Ms. Kenner was an inventor who holds the record for the most patents awarded to a Black woman by the U.S. government. Her invention of the sanitary belt in the 1920s was the precursor to sanitary pads - though due to discrimination and financial limitations, her patent was not granted until 1957. Before her invention, most women in US households were using cloths and rags to create their own menstrual products. She revolutionized the ability of women to purchase commercial menstrual products to decrease confinement to the home during menstrual cycles and provide a safe alternative empowering female consumers.
Ionia Rollin Whipper, MD (1872- 1953)
Dr. Whipper was an obstetrician and public health advocate. After graduating from Howard University School of Medicine in 1903, she worked for the US Children’s Bureau. During WWI, she worked in the South to improve maternal outcomes by training midwives to use sterile delivery techniques, hygiene, and the importance of public health. Dr. Whipper opened her own home to unwed mothers of color due to a lack of safe housing for unwed mothers of color. She is credited with dedicating her career to teaching and founding organizations to improve the lives of low-income Black women in Washington.
Preventive Medicine
Joycelyn Elders, MD (b. 1933)
As the head of the Arkansas Department of Health in 1987, Dr. Elders led the way to a K-12 curriculum that included sex education, substance-abuse prevention, and programs to promote self-esteem. During her tenure, childhood immunization rates nearly doubled, the state's prenatal care program expanded, and home care for chronic conditions and palliative care improved. In 1993, she was sworn in as the Surgeon General of the US, the first African American to be appointed as the Surgeon General of the United States. She is credited with work on increasing child immunization and screening rates, availability of HIV services, breast cancer screenings, and care for elderly patients.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler, MD (1831-1895)
Dr. Crumpler was the first African American woman in the United States to earn an M.D. degree. She is renowned for her writing in the ‘Book of Medical Discourses’ sharing her experiences and path of becoming an African American physician. In her early career, she provided healthcare to women and children living in poverty in Boston. And, after the American Civil War, she moved to Virginia to treat women, children, and African Americans who newly freed from slavery. In 2019, her efforts were recognized in Virginia as the Rebecca Lee Crumpler Day on March 30, also National Physicians Day.
Susan La Flesche Picotte, MD (1865 - 1915)
Dr. Picotte was the first Native American female physician in the US. She was a general internal medicine physician - dedicated to improving the health - physical, mental, and financial - of Native Americans. She was a community activist and “in 1906 she led a delegation to Washington, D.C., to lobby for the prohibition of alcohol on the reservation.” She was dedicated to the prevention and early treatment of tuberculosis. In addition, she advocated for the “formal, legal allotment of land to members of the Omaha tribe.” Prior to her passing, in the reservation town of Walthill, Nebraska, she founded a hospital to serve the community - a lifelong dream.
Pediatric Medicine
Virginia Apgar, MD (1909-1974)
Dr. Apgar is renowned as the founder of the Apgar Score - the first standardized method for evaluating the neonate’s health immediately upon birth. “Despite initial resistance, the score was eventually accepted and is now used throughout the world. Apgar first planned the score to be taken one minute after birth, as a guide to the need for resuscitation.” Prior to this remarkable development, Dr. Apgar co-founded one of the first medical training programs for physicians in anesthesia. She and her close collaborator nurse-anesthetist Anne Penland compiled one of the first handbooks on anesthesiology - ‘Notes on Anesthesia’. After her significant contributions to pediatric neonatology and anesthesiology, Dr. Apgar became the “director of the division of congenital defects at the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (now the March of Dimes).” She was honored with a commemorative U.S. postage stamp (1994) and inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Antonia Novello, MD (b 1944-)
Dr. Novella is a pediatric nephrologist with a dedication to the prevention of pediatric diseases, including pediatric AIDS. She is the first Hispanic and the first female to serve as surgeon general of the United States. Prior to this role, she served as the deputy director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Novella also contributed to the draft legislation for the Organ Transplantation Procurement Act of 1984. She is credited with advocacy to end targeted advertisements to children for tobacco products. Dr. Novello expedited the FDA approval of vaccines for military personnel during the Gulf War - which led to her becoming the recipient of the Legion of Merit. She went on to become a special representative to United Nations Children's Fund building further the campaign of addressing the health and nutritional needs of women, children, and adolescents, globally. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Medicine.
Telemedicine, Global Health & Being an Astronaut
Mae Jemison, MD (b. 1956-)
Dr. Mae Jemison is an engineer and former NASA astronaut, as well as the first Black woman to travel to space. After serving six years as an astronaut, Dr. Jemison started the Jemison Group, a consulting company that encourages science, technology, and social change, and is credited with developing a telecommunications system to improve healthcare delivery in developing countries around the world. Currently, Jemison is leading the 100-Year Starship project through the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This project works to make sure human space travel to another star is possible within the next 100 years. Dr. Jemison is a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine. She is inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and Texas Science Hall of Fame.
Military Specialties
Mary Edwards Walker, MD (1832-1919)
Dr. Walker was a US Army surgeon during the Civil War - she was awarded the Medal of Honor. She is the only female in US history to receive a medal of honor in recognition of her contributions to the Civil War effort as a surgeon, abolitionist, and spy. She was an ardent supporter of women’s right to vote.
Margaret Chung, MD (1889-1959)
Dr. Chung was the first female physician of Chinese ancestry, though she was born in the US. As a young physician, she founded the first “western” medical clinic in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the 1920s. During WWII, she supported countless military personnel - acting as a surrogate mother & confidant for them. She was a staunch supporter of the enlistment of women in WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service - a program that did not admit women of color into its ranks).
Final Thoughts
These women physicians have paved a path that has eased enrollment of women in medical school classes. Women physicians now make up a greater percentage of assistant and associate professors in medical schools across the country. Yet, there are still mountains to climb.
Women in medicine continue to face gender discrimination, harassment, and inequity in various aspects of their work. Just as these heroes had dedicated their life to the improvement of generations to come, we can ask ourselves - how do we want to contribute in this world? Each of us has the power to be a hero, even for just a day.
Feminism isn't about making women stronger. Women are already strong.
It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength.
-GD Anderson
Read more about Female Physicians Impacting our World, 10 Trailblazing Women in Healthcare, Celebrating 10 Women Medical Pioneers