Famous Women in Medicine
She was the first in the United States to earn a medical degree.
Elizabeth Blackwell
About 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop this cancer during their lifetime.
Breast cancer
A patient assumes the man in the room is the doctor and the woman is the nurse, even though she is the physician. What is this an example of?
Gender stereotyping
A patient says their severe menstrual pain is “probably normal,” but it makes them miss school. What should the clinician do first?
Take the pain seriously and ask about its severity, timing, and effect on daily life; evaluate it.
Known as the “Lady with the Lamp,” she helped transform nursing during the Crimean War.
Florence Nightingale
This is the number-one cause of death for women in the United States.
Heart disease
A woman physician and a man physician have comparable roles, but the woman is paid less. Name the barrier.
Gender pay gap
A patient has ongoing pelvic pain around her periods, but an initial scan does not explain it. Should the evaluation stop? What would you do next?
No. Reassess her symptoms and consider endometriosis and other causes.
Her name is on the score doctors use to quickly assess newborn babies.
Virginia Apgar
The WHO estimates that up to 70% of women with this hormonal condition worldwide do not know they have it.
PCOS
Women pay more for sanitary/hygiene items that are specifically branded/marketed for them. What is the name for this phenomenon?
Pink tax
A woman reports chest discomfort, nausea, and shortness of breath. Someone assumes it is anxiety. What urgent condition must you consider, and what would you do?
Possible heart attack: seek emergency evaluation immediately, including an ECG and blood tests, rather than assuming anxiety.
Nicknamed the “Angel of the Battlefield” for caring for wounded Civil War soldiers, she later founded the American Red Cross.
Clara Barton
About 1 in 10 reproductive-age women worldwide have this condition, which can cause severe period pain and pelvic pain.
Endometriosis
A woman researcher does substantial work on a study but is left off the author list. What is she being denied?
Authorship and professional recognition
A patient with PCOS has very irregular periods. What could a clinician discuss to help regulate them?
Hormonal treatment, such as a combined birth control pill, if appropriate for that patient.
Cells taken during her cervical cancer treatment became the “HeLa” cell line used in medical research.
Henrietta Lacks
In 2025, women made up about what percent of new students entering U.S. medical schools.
55%
Women physicians are repeatedly assigned extra committee and support work that does not help them advance. What can this limit?
Time for research, promotion, and leadership opportunities.
A patient has a positive pregnancy test, pelvic pain, and vaginal bleeding. What dangerous condition must be ruled out, and what should happen next?
Ectopic pregnancy, she needs urgent medical evaluation, including ultrasound and blood testing; treatment depends on the findings. ACOG