Ingeborg Rapoport

Nazi Germany refugee who became the world's oldest PhD recipient at 102

Ingeborg Rapoport (1912-2017) made medical history when she defended her PhD thesis at 102 after being denied by Nazi authorities in 1938. Born Ingeborg Syllm in Cameroon to German parents, her Jewish heritage led to academic persecution despite completing medical school.

After fleeing to America, she pioneered neonatal research in East Germany, establishing Europe's first neonatology clinic. Her groundbreaking work on infant respiratory distress syndrome reduced neonatal mortality rates globally.

In 2015, the University of Hamburg posthumously awarded the PhD denied 77 years earlier following a student-led campaign. Her final defense via video conference became a symbolic victory against academic discrimination. Rapoport's life bridges colonial Africa, Nazi persecution, Cold War medicine, and digital-age activism.