Women in Medicine

1600
1642

Jeanne Mance founded L’Hôtel-Dieu in what is now Montréal

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1700
1800
1840

After her death in 1771, The Grey Nuns carried on d’Youville’s legacy

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1867

Upon her return from the United States, Dr. Stowe opened her practice on Richmond Street in Toronto

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1872

Dr. Jennie Trout completed qualifying medical courses at the Toronto School of Medicine

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1875

Dr. Trout opened the first of her several medical practices in Toronto

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1876

Dr. Stowe founded the Toronto Women’s Literary Club, later renamed the Canadian Women’s Suffrage Association.

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1879

Leonora King began attending to Lady Li Hung Chang, wife of the Viceroy

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1883

Dr. Augusta Stowe-Gullen, the daughter of Dr. Stowe, became the first woman to receive a Canadian medical degree when she graduated from Women’s Medical College.

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1883

In an effort to increase women’s access to medical education, Dr. Stowe founded the Women’s Medical College.

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1885

Leonora King established the Government Hospital for Women and Children

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1889

Rejected from the Faculty of Medicine at McGill due to her gender, Maude Abbott enrolled at Bishop’s University and earned her degree in medicine in 1894.

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1900
1908

With the financial support of Lady Li, Leonora King established a medical school for women

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1910
1912

Menten and Michaelis published their famous equation

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1914

Along with another colleague, Maude Abbott took on Acting Editorship of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) during WW1, until 1919

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1914 - 1918

During WWI, Maude Abbott worked tirelessly to prepare and catalogue teaching specimens for the Canadian Medical War Museum (CMWM)

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1920
1930
1931

Elizabeth Bagshaw became Director of the Planned Parenthood Society

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1932

Elizabeth Bagshaw founded Canada’s first birth control clinic

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1936

Dr. Maude Abbott published her ATLAS OF CONGENITAL CARDIAC DISEASE in which she outlined a new classification system for congenital heart diseases

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1940
1950
1950

Dr. M. Vera Peters published her landmark study that suggested early-stage Hodgkin’s was potentially curable with radiation therapy

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1951

World’s first non-commercial cobalt-60 therapy unit went into operation at the University of Saskatchewan

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1960
1970
1970

Dr. Bette Stephenson was elected President of the Ontario Medical Association, the first woman to hold the position in its 90-year history

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1971

Lucille Teasdale-Corti became a war surgeon in Uganda

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1972 - 1982

Dr. Herbert was a pioneer in community-based primary care research, with research questions arising from practice and grounded in patient and community care needs.

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1973

Dr. Stephenson was elected President of the Canadian Medical Association, the first woman to hold the position in its 106-year history

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1975

Dr. Peters published the first controlled study to demonstrate that lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy had success outcomes equal to or better than more radical procedures

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1975

May Cohen led a federal government workshop on women’s health care, as part of the Canadian government’s response to International Women’s Year

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1978

Elaine Carty receives Health Canada funding to explore the development of a midwife-led, out of hospital birth centre

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1980
1982 - 1987

Dr. Herbert becomes the founding co-director of Sexual Abuse Assessment Pilot Project

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1982 - 1988

Dr. Herbert serves as the founding co-director of Vancouver Sexual Assault Assessment Service (still operating in 2023)

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1983

Roberta Bondar was chosen from more than 4,000 applicants for Canada’s astronaut program

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1987 - 1989

Dr. Herbert serves as the president of North American Primary Care Research Group, most influential primary care research organization in the world.

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1988

As a skilled administrator, Dr. Jean Gray became Associate Dean of Post-Graduate Medical Education at Dalhousie University

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1988

Dr. Jacalyn Duffin became the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine at Queen’s University

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1990
1990

Dr. Herbert is a founding member of UBC Institute of Health Promotion Research

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1991

Noralou Roos becomes the Founding Director of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy

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1992 - 1994

Co-developed Guidelines for Participatory Action Research in Health Promotion

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1992

On the space craft DISCOVERY, Dr. Bondar circled our planet at thirty thousand kilometres per hour, situated three hundred kilometres above Earth

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1993

Canada’ first and only national HIV clinical cohort study is established

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1993 - 1995

Co-Principal Investigator of Haida Gwaii Diabetes Project, one of the first participatory research partnerships with Canadian Indigenous communities.

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1995

Dr. Judith G. Hall’s medical expertise and capacity for leadership was well-respected internationally

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1995

The Ottawa Health Decision Center was founded by Annette O'Connor and her team

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1997

Dr. Caron became the first female First Nations student to graduate from UBC’s Faculty of Medicine

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1997

Inaugural May Cohen Lecture in Women’s Health was delivered by the Hon. Monique Begin at McMaster University

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1998

BC legislated midwifery as part of the health care system

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1999 - 2010

Dr. Herbert serves as Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University.

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1999

The first woman in Canada to become Dean of a Faculty of Medicine

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2000
2001

Connie Eaves became the first researcher in Vancouver to commence investigations of human embryonic stem cells (ES) and human induced pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS)

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2001

Dr. Annette O’Connor and her team established the first open access international inventory of patient decision aids and decision guides.

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2001

When the Canadian Institutes of Health Research was formed, Dr. Jean Gray was asked to chair the Institute of Gender and Health Advisory Board

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2002-2011

Became the first Chief Scientific Adviser to UNAIDS (The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS)

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2003

Dr. Caron became the first female First Nations General Surgeon in Canada

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2003 - 2007

Dr. Herbert chairs the National Expert Committee, Health Canada Interprofessional Education (IPE) for Patient-Centred Collaborative Care which funded many innovative IPE projects.

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2003

Elaine Carty began work on integrating the humanities, specifically art and poetry, throughout the midwifery curriculum

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2005

Dr. Simons made history as the first foreigner to be elected as President by the Fellows of the America Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

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2009 - 2019

Founding Fellow of Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

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2010
2010

Co-author of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences major assessment report: “Transforming Care for Canadians with Chronic Health Conditions: Put People First, Expect the Best, Manage for Results”.

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2012

Dr. Rockman-Greenberg was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women for her work supporting vulnerable communities

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2012

Elaine Carty is called out of retirement to resume the Directorship of UBC program to oversee the first expansion of the program.

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2013 - 2016

Noralou Roos co-authors several e-books on health policy in Canada

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Jauary 2014

Dr. Caron co-founded the Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health (CEIH) at UBC and served as its first co-director

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2015

Nora Lou Roos founds 'GetYourBenefits!' effort in Manitoba

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2016

Dr. Caron awarded $1.25 million from Genome British Columbia for the Northern Biobank Initiative (NBI)

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2020
January 2020

Dr. Caron appointed the inaugural First Nations Health Authority Chair in Cancer and Wellness at UBC

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2020

Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force (CITF) is Co-Chaired by Dr. Hankins

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2021

About the CMHF

The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) celebrates Canadian heroes whose work advances health in Canada and the world, fostering future generations of health professionals through the delivery of local and national youth education programs and awards.

This enduring tribute to our country’s rich medical history is showcased here and in our physical exhibit hall in London, ON

Pioneers, Leaders, Scholars and Change Makers Women in Medicine

Women in Medicine

Venerable Jeanne Mance

Sainte Marguerite d'Youville

Emily Stowe, MD

Jennie Trout, MD

Jennie Trout, MD

Emily Stowe, MD

Leonora King, MD

Emily Stowe, MD

Emily Stowe, MD

Leonora King, MD

Maude Abbott, MD

Leonora King, MD

Maud L. Menten, MD PhD

Maude Abbott, MD

Maude Abbott, MD

Elizabeth Bagshaw, MD

Elizabeth Bagshaw, MD

Maude Abbott, MD

M. Vera Peters, MD

The Honourable Sylvia Fedoruk

Bette Stephenson, MD

Lucille Teasdale-Corti, MD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Bette Stephenson, MD

M. Vera Peters, MD

May Cohen, MD

Elaine A. Carty, MSN CNM

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Roberta Bondar, MD PhD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Jean Gray, MD

Jacalyn Duffin, MD PhD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Noralou P. Roos, PhD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Roberta Bondar, MD PhD

Catherine Hankins, MD PhD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Judith G. Hall, MD

Annette O'Connor, PhD

Nadine Rena Caron, MD

May Cohen, MD

Elaine A. Carty, MSN CNM

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Noni MacDonald, MD

Connie J. Eaves, PhD

Annette O'Connor, PhD

Jean Gray, MD

Catherine Hankins, MD PhD

Nadine Rena Caron, MD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Elaine A. Carty, MSN CNM

F. Estelle R. Simons, MD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg, MDCM

Elaine A. Carty, MSN CNM

Noralou P. Roos, PhD

Nadine Rena Caron, MD

Noralou P. Roos, PhD

Nadine Rena Caron, MD

Nadine Rena Caron, MD

Catherine Hankins, MD PhD

Allison McGeer, MD

Catherine Hankins, MD PhD

Noni MacDonald, MD

Carol P. Herbert, MD

Elaine A. Carty, MSN CNM

Noralou P. Roos, PhD

Venerable Jeanne Mance

Annette O'Connor, PhD

About the CMHF