Top 10 Facts You Need to Know about Women in Medicine

AVANI PATEL, M4; MICHELLE SHETH, MD

Introduction

The American Medical Association’s Women in Medicine Month, celebrated during September, serves as a platform to highlight the accomplishments of female physicians in addition to emphasizing the importance of advocacy-related efforts regarding female physicians and health issues impacting female patients. The theme for 2018 is “Celebrating Our Legacy, Embracing Our Future.” 1 In fact, if you have ever given birth, received a blood transfusion, or even had lifesaving radiation therapy, then you have experienced one of the many healthsaving advancements gifted to us by women in medicine. In celebration of AMA’s Women in Medicine Month, here are facts about 10 women who have left quite the contribution to science and medicine.

1. Elizabeth Blackwell, MD

BLACKWELL

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was the very first female to earn the M.D. degree. She graduated from New York’s Geneva Medical College in 1849. Dr. Blackwell initially worked as a teacher and never wanted to pursue a career in medicine; however, when a close friend who was dying suggested she would have been spared her worst suffering if her physician had been a woman, she turned to medicine. In 1857, she co-founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. She also authored several books addressing women and medicine. 2

2. Virginia Apgar, MD

Dr. Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was an obstetrical anesthesiologist known for developing the Apgar score in 1952. 3 She standardized the evaluation of infants at birth before the era of fetal monitor. Dr. Apgar was also the first female to earn the title of full professor at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in 1949 and served as their director of the division of Anesthesia. Dr. Apgar was an outspoken advocate for universal vaccination for all pediatric patients during the rubella pandemic of 1965 to prevent mother to child transmission. 4 Ultimately, Dr. Apgar went on to serve fifteen years with the March of Dimes in a variety of capacities.

3. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi

Parisian scientist Francoise Barré- Sinoussi was distinguished for her discovery of HIV as the cause of AIDS. Barré-Sinoussi, along with Luc Montaigner, discovered that the HIV retrovirus attacked lymphocytes, a blood cell that is vital to the body’s immune system. Her discovery has been crucial in helping millions who are living with the disease and has paved the way for improved treatment methods for AIDS patients. 5

4. Marie Curie

Polish mathematician and scientist, Marie Curie, collaborated with her husband, Pierre Curie, to discover two chemical elements in the periodic table, polonium and radium. Both chemical elements are more radioactive than uranium and have been important resources for scientific experiments and advancements in medicine such as the development of the x-ray, which remains a vital diagnostic device today. Curie earned a Nobel Prize with her husband in Physics in 1903. In 1911, she earned another in Chemistry. Following her husband’s death in 1906, Curie took her place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences at Sorbonne, which was the first time a woman had held this position. She was also appointed Director of the Curie Laboratory in the Radium Institute of the University of Paris, founded in 1914. In 1921, President Harding of the United States presented her with one gram of radium in recognition of her service to science. 6

5. Susan Love, MD, MBA

In addition to being an author, professor and member of the National Cancer Advisory Board under President Clinton, Dr. Susan Love co-founded the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Above all, she was an advocate for her patients. In 1983, she founded Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, an active research program centered on breast cancer cause and prevention. Dr. Love was diagnosed with leukemia in 2012 and underwent chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. She has returned to work and is determined to find a cure for cancer. 7

6. Helen B. Taussig, MD

Dr. Helen Taussig is considered the founder of pediatric cardiology for her work with “blue baby” syndrome and co-developed the corrective surgical procedure for the congenital heart defect that caused anoxemia, which was considered a vital step in the development of adult open-heart surgery in the following years. Dr. Taussig also aided in the prevention of the

7. Rosalyn Sussman Yalow

Anyone who has required a blood transfusion can thank nuclear physicist Rosalyn Yalow. She was a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine in 1977 after developing radioimmunoassay, a technique used to measure the concentration of antigens, such as hormones, in the body. Her work made it possible to screen blood donations for infectious diseases. Later, her technique allowed scientists to prove that type-2 diabetes is caused by the body’s inability to use insulin efficiently. 9

8Gertrude Belle Elion: This American chemist is responsible for many lifesaving drugs, but one to highlight is Purinethol – the first major drug used to fight leukemia. Her career choice was inspired by the death of her maternal grandfather from cancer. Elion worked to find a cure for cancer, ultimately developing 45 treatments helping the immune system to overcome cancer. 10 In 1988, Elion won the Nobel Prize for Medicine. She also created various drug treatments for urinary tract infections, gout, malaria, herpes, and the prevention of organ transplant rejection. Another notable contribution of Elion was the first antiretroviral drug to treat AIDS, azidothymidine. In 1991, Elion was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. 11

9. Patricia S. Goldman-Rakic

This American neuroscientist was the first researcher to chart the frontal lobe of brain fully. Also, she studied memory cells in the prefrontal cortex and discovered that the loss of dopamine in the prefrontal lobe led to the loss of memory. Her work on memory and behavior created a foundation for treating and understanding schizophrenia, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. 12

10. Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale, also known as “Lady with the Lamp,” is credited as the foundational philosopher of modern nursing. During the Crimean War, Nightingale was in charge of caring for British and allied soldiers in Turkey. After returning to England, she established a nursing school to formalize nursing education based on science. In 1907, she was the first woman to be awarded the Order of Merit. Today, International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on May 12, her birthday. 13

Conclusion

As you take this moment to reflect on the contributions these exceptional women have made to medicine and humanity, may you be both inspired and motivated to leave a legacy as great as the women above.

References

1. Women In Medicine. American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn. org. Accessed July 29, 2018.

3. Rose, David. Virginia Apgar. March of Dimes. https://www.marchofdimes. org/mission/virginia-apgar.aspx. Published May 28, 2009. Accessed January 13, 2018.

4. Changing the Face of Medicine | Virginia Apgar. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_12.html. Published October 14, 2003. Updated June 3, 2015. Accessed January 13, 2018.

5. Nobel Media AB 2018. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi – Facts. Nobelprize.org. https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2008/barresinoussi-facts.html. Accessed January 13, 2018.

6. Nobel Media AB 2018. Marie Curie – Biographical. Nobelprize.org. https:// www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-bio. html. Accessed January 13, 2018.

7. Dr. Susan Love. Dr. Susan Love Foundation. https://www.drsusanloveresearch. org/dr-susan-love. Published May 31, 2017. Accessed January 13, 2018.

8. Changing the Face of Medicine | Helen Brooke Taussig. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_316.html. Published October 14, 2003. Updated June 3, 2015. Accessed January 13, 2018.

9. Nobel Media AB 2018. Rosalyn Yalow – Facts. Nobelprize.org. https://www. nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1977/yalow-facts.html. Accessed January 13, 2018.

10. Nobel Media AB 2018. Gertrude B. Elion – Facts. Nobelprize.org. https:// www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1988/elion-facts. html. Accessed January 13, 2018.

11. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Gertrude B. Elion. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gertrude-B-Elion. Published November 15, 2017. Accessed January 13, 2018.

12. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Patricia Shoer Goldman-Rakic. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Patricia- Shoer-Goldman-Rakic. Published December 31, 2003. Accessed January 13, 2018.

13. Selanders, Louise. Florence Nightingale. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https:// www.britannica.com/biography/Florence-Nightingale. Published December 20, 2017. Accessed January 13, 2018.

Author Information

Medical Student 4th Year, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS (Patel). Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS (Sheth).

Corresponding Author: Dr. Michelle Sheth; Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State St., Jackson, MS 39216.