Salomé de Usaquén

Colombian physician who founded Latin America's first nursing school and children's hospital

Salomé de Usaquén (1897-1985) was a Colombian physician who pioneered modern healthcare in Bogotá. Establishing the Hospital Infantil de Bogotá in 1924, she created Latin America's first pediatric hospital and nursing school. During the 1948 Bogotazo riots, she organized mobile clinics to treat victims while her hospital became a temporary morgue. Her 1935 book Hygiene for the Poor revolutionized public health education. As director of the National Health Service (1950-1960), she implemented rural health programs benefiting over 2 million Colombians. Her work is documented in the Wikipedia profile and the hospital's official history site hospitalinfantil.org.co. The Salomé de Usaquén Award (est. 1986) honors Colombia's top healthcare innovators.