author
Elizabeth Blackwell
1821–1910
A pioneer in medicine, she became the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States and spent the rest of her life pushing open doors for other women. Her story blends personal determination with a lasting commitment to better medical care and medical education.
3 Audiobooks
Essays in medical sociology, Volume 2 (of 2)
by Elizabeth Blackwell
Essays in medical sociology, Volume 1 (of 2)
by Elizabeth Blackwell
Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women
by Elizabeth Blackwell
About the author
Born in Bristol, England, on February 3, 1821, she moved with her family to the United States as a child. After facing repeated rejection from medical schools, she was admitted to Geneva Medical College in New York and graduated in 1849, becoming the first woman to receive an M.D. degree in the United States.
Her career was never only about personal achievement. She helped found the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister Emily Blackwell, and later took part in creating the Woman's Medical College of the New York Infirmary. She also became the first woman entered on the British medical register, extending her influence on both sides of the Atlantic.
Beyond practicing medicine, she wrote and spoke about public health, medical ethics, and women's education. She died in Hastings, England, on May 31, 1910, but her legacy remains central to the history of women in medicine.