America's first licensed female medical doctor

Exactly 177 years ago, on January 23, 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States.

She decided to pursue the degree when a terminally ill friend was convinced she would have received better care from a female doctor. At that time, there were few medical schools and, unsurprisingly, none accepted women.

Blackwell was rejected by every school she applied to until she finally received an acceptance letter from Geneva College in New York. Cruelly, the letter was meant as a practical joke, but Geneva ultimately accepted her.

Naturally, discrimination and obstacles awaited her in college. Professors often excluded her from labs and forced her to sit separately from the class during lectures. Townspeople mocked her for behaving outside accepted gender norms.

As a woman on a mission, however, Blackwell was undeterred, eventually garnering the well-deserved respect of professors and classmates and graduating first in her class.

In 1857, she opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children, which held positions for female doctors, and in 1868, Blackwell went on to open a medical college.

Here’s to Elizabeth Blackwell, whose courage and self-confidence kicked open the door and blazed the trail for all aspiring female medical practitioners.