|
Greetings dear colleagues and friends,
As we enter the 2nd month of 2022, I wanted to briefly share the story of Dr Elizabeth Blackwell the first woman physician in the United States of America to receive a medical degree. Her birthday February 3rd is celebrated as National Women Physicians Day.
Elizabeth was born on February 3rd 1821 near Bristol in the United Kingdom and moved to the USA with her parents as a young girl. She has been a trailblazer. Blackwell championed the participation of women in the medical profession and opened a medical college for women. Her many accomplishments include her emphasis on preventative care and personal hygiene, as she recognized that male doctors often caused epidemics by failing to wash their hands between patients. She was instrumental in founding the National Health Society and published several books, including an autobiography, Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women (1895).
The Elizabeth Blackwell Medal was created by American Medical Women’s Association as a lasting tribute to the first woman awarded an M.D. degree from an American medical school. It is granted to a woman physician who has made the most outstanding contributions to the cause of women in the field of medicine.
I am honored to be recipient of the Blackwell medal along with other awardees over the past 75 years.
Let me take this opportunity to express my appreciation to you all as women physicians working in the various disciplines of medicine for your commitment in improving the health of communities you live and work in.
Please check out the details about the upcoming Congress in Taipei in June 2022 below https://mwia.net/meetings/triennial-congress/
Hopefully if we can resume travel I look forward to seeing many of you in person in June.
Best wishes
Padmini Murthy
Secretary General MWIA
|
