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Elizabeth Blackwell shattered a century-long barrier when Geneva Medical College
Featured Event 1849 Event

January 23

Blackwell Breaks Barriers: First U.S. Female Doctor

Elizabeth Blackwell shattered a century-long barrier when Geneva Medical College granted her an M.D., making her the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. This victory forced American hospitals and medical schools to confront their exclusionary policies, eventually opening clinical training grounds for generations of women who followed.

January 23, 1849

177 years ago

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