Elizabeth Blackwell

First woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, revolutionizing healthcare access for women

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) shattered gender barriers in medicine by becoming the first woman to earn an MD in 1849. Her persistence against institutional sexism opened medical education to women worldwide.

Key contributions include:

• Founding the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children (1857)
• Establishing the Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary (1868)
• Pioneering preventive medicine and hygiene education

Blackwell's ‘Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women’ autobiography details her 30+ rejections from medical schools before Geneva Medical College's landmark acceptance. Her work directly influenced:

• Florence Nightingale's nursing reforms
• Women's medical colleges in England and France
• Public health initiatives for urban poor