author
Marie E. (Marie Elizabeth) Zakrzewska
1829–1902
A barrier-breaking physician, educator, and hospital founder, she helped open medicine to women in the United States. Her life story connects practical care, stubborn courage, and a lasting belief that women deserved full professional training.
2 Audiobooks
A Practical Illustration of "Woman's Right to Labor" A Letter from Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D. Late of Berlin, Prussia
by Marie E. (Marie Elizabeth) Zakrzewska
A Woman's Quest: The life of Marie E. Zakrzewska, M.D.
by Marie E. (Marie Elizabeth) Zakrzewska
About the author
Born in Berlin on September 6, 1829, to Polish parents, Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska grew up around midwifery and began learning the work early by accompanying her mother on visits. She trained at Berlin’s Royal Charité hospital and, while still a young woman, rose to become head midwife there.
After emigrating to the United States in 1853, she pursued a medical degree with support from Elizabeth Blackwell and graduated from Western Reserve College in 1856. She then helped expand the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, one of the first American hospitals run by women for women and children.
Zakrzewska is best remembered for founding the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston in 1862. The hospital cared for patients while also creating rare professional opportunities for women physicians and nurses, making her an important pioneer in American medicine. She died on May 12, 1902.