Born: 2 March 1916, Ghana
Died: 27 December 1984
Country most active: Ghana
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women creator Allison Tyra’s book Uncredited: Women’s Overlooked, Misattributed, and Stolen Work.
When Matilda J. Clerk wanted to study medicine at Achimota College, her father had to petition the head of the British colonial government, the Governor of the Gold Coast, for a special waiver. Only then was she allowed to enrol, in 1940. Two years later, she became the first Ghanaian woman with a western medical degree, and she was the only candidate of any gender to pass the first preliminary medical baccalaureate examinations in 1942. Her performance was so impressive, she was granted a rare medical scholarship by the colonial government to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh from 1944 to 1949. Returning home in 1951, she focused her career on public health and primary care in Ghana.