Nabihah Hashim Shaban

The first female physician in Lebanon who pioneered women's healthcare and education in the late 19th century

Nabihah Hashim Shaban (1857-1923) was a pioneering Lebanese physician and educator who broke gender barriers in both medicine and education during the Ottoman era. Born in Beirut, she defied societal norms by pursuing medical training at the American University of Beirut (then Syrian Protestant College) from 1878-1882, becoming the first Arab woman to earn a medical degree in the region. Her groundbreaking work included establishing the first women's hospital in Beirut in 1885, which provided critical healthcare services while also training female nurses and midwives.

Shaban's legacy extended beyond medicine. She founded the Beirut Women's Literary Society in 1890, creating spaces for women to engage in intellectual discourse and education. Her advocacy led to the opening of Lebanon's first girls' secondary school in 1898. Through her writings published in Al-Jinan magazine, she challenged patriarchal norms and advocated for women's rights using Quranic arguments, a radical approach at the time.

Her contributions were internationally recognized when she became the first Arab woman to present a paper at the 1899 International Medical Congress in Paris. Today, the Nabihah Shaban Medical Center in Beirut honors her legacy. Her story is preserved in the archives of the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese Women's Museum.