Captain María Inés Ortiz
Capt. Ortiz, who grew up in Puerto Rico, served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was killed by mortar fire in the Green Zone of Baghdad on July 10, 2007. She was the first Army nurse killed in combat since the Vietnam War.
Capt. Ortiz, who grew up in Puerto Rico, served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was killed by mortar fire in the Green Zone of Baghdad on July 10, 2007. She was the first Army nurse killed in combat since the Vietnam War.
When Vernice Ferguson became the first African American to lead the Veterans Administration (VA) Nursing Service in 1980, she inherited the largest nursing service in the nation, overseeing 60,000 professionals.
American champion of veterans and women in the military
American astronaut
An Indian American inventor known for creating a revolutionary dental filling material that improved the way dentists restore teeth, Sumita Mitra used her curiosity and imagination to discover the idea for the material where she least expected it.
A biomedical researcher, MIT professor, and biotech entrepreneur, she has invented human microlivers to study drug metabolism and liver disease as well as nanoparticles that help diagnose, study, and treat ailments like cancer.
Nurse and nursing administrator, Major Alice Appleford was a highly decorated war heroine who continued throughout both war and peace time to be a role model for women.
At 16 years old, Gitanjali Rao has invented a device to detect lead in water (inspired by the crisis in Flint, Michigan), an anti-bullying app, and was named TIME’s first “Kid of the Year” in 2020, among other notable accomplishments.
Formerly enslaved in the state of Kentucky, Emma Stephenson voluntarily served as a nurse with the U.S. 17th Army Corps.
Iñupiaq healer and teacher