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Events & Classes > Collins Gallery > Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians

Changing the Face of Medicine:
Celebrating America's Women Physicians

S. Josephine Baker, M.D., Dr. P.H.; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-058326, ca. 1920

Location, time

About the exhibit

This exhibit tells the stories of some of the many extraordinary women who have studied and practiced medicine and their struggles over the past two centuries to gain access to medical education and to work in the medical specialties they chose.

This nationally touring exhibit is based on a larger exhibition that was displayed at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Md., from 2003–2005. The exhibit also includes two interactive kiosks offering access to the NLM's "Local Legends," which features outstanding women physicians from every state, and to the website created for the larger exhibition at the NLM. The exhibition website offers access to educational and professional resources for people considering medicine as a career, as well as lesson plans for classroom activities. The section called "Share Your Story" allows the public to add the names and biographies of women physicians they know.

The exhibit will also be augmented by materials from the Historical Collections & Archives of Oregon Health & Science University. Items on display will be drawn from the History of Medicine, Manuscript, Historical Image, Pacific Northwest Archives, and Medical Museum collections. This portion of the presentation will showcase the lives and practice of women physicians in Oregon.

Related events

Opening Reception

Please join us for the exhibition and light refreshments.

Dr. Mary A. Thompson, first woman to begin practice in Oregon. Practiced in Portland from about 1852 to late 70s. Died 1919.

Keynote Lecture: A Brief History of Women in Medicine

The mark of the woman physician through history has been one of hardship, distinction and accomplishment. Sima Desai, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, highlights the challenges and successes of both the women and the institutions that made a difference for and in medicine. Historically, women held important positions in medicine, and their wisdom and healing were widely sought. When societal norms changed in the 17th and 18th centuries, however, they were driven out of the profession. Hear how they rose to prominence in preventative medicine during the late 1800s, and about the larger inroads made by women in the profession during the 20th century.

Careers in Medicine Panel Discussion

Women, from a variety of medical professions and at different stages of their educations and careers, share their experiences and thoughts on the unique issues faced by women in medicine. Panelists include Kim-Chi Vu, M.D., plastic surgeon; Flora Fazeli, M.D., gerontologist for Kaiser Permanente; April Sweeny, M.D., psychiatric resident at Oregon Health & Science University; and Stephanie J. Murphy, V.M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Medicine Department (APOM) at Oregon Health & Science University and director of the APOM Core Animal Laboratories.

Esther Clayson Pohl Lovejoy, M.D.

Esther Clayson Pohl Lovejoy, M.D.: Changing the Face of Medicine in Oregon and Across the World

Learn about Esther Clayson Pohl Lovejoy, M.D., an 1894 graduate from the University of Oregon Medical School and a key figure in Progressive era Oregon public health and suffrage campaigns. Kimberly Jensen, professor of history at Western Oregon University and author of Mobilizing Minerva: American Women in the First World War, traces Lovejoy's accomplishments, from medical service in World War I to directing and expanding the American Women's Hospitals, an international medical relief service for civilians and refugees. As organizer and first president of the Medical Women's International Association, Lovejoy developed an international vision for cooperation among medical women, which continued throughout her life.

Related exhibit: The Changing Face of Medicine

Photographs and biographical sketches of women doctors of medicine who graduated from Portland State University.

 

Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America's Women Physicians was developed by the Exhibition Program of the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The traveling exhibition has been made possible by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health. The American Medical Women's Association provided additional support.

Additional local support provided by Portland State University, Western Oregon University, the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and the Advocates for Women in Science, Engineering & Mathematics.