She became the Navy’s first female line officer on 3 August 1942. Commissioned a Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve, she simultaneously undertook the demanding task of Director of the Navy’s newly-established Women’s Reserve. In November 1943, following the passage of new legislation by the Congress, she was promoted to the rank of Captain.
Barbara Ross-Lee, D.O., became the first African American woman to be appointed dean of an American medical school in 1993.
Dr. Van Hoosen was a founder of the American Medical Women’s Association and served as the organization’s first president.
Educator and disability rights activist
Pediatrician and the first African American woman medical director of a major hospital.
The first woman to obtain a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
African-American educator, speaker, religious leader, civil rights activist, feminist, and businesswoman
Pelagia Melgenak’s story shows a grit and determination to survive as an individual but also as a vessel to help a culture survive.
Irish performer and stage school founder
1800s British doctor