Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman doctor in the United States

Background. Geneva Medical College was founded in 1834 as a department of Geneva College. In 1847, Elizabeth Blackwell was admitted to the Medical Institution, becoming the first woman to attend medical school in the United States. Her acceptance followed her investigation of opportunities for medical study in Philadelphia and New York.

Graduation. Blackwell graduated on January 23, 1849, at the head of her class. This event was celebrated as the culmination of years of trial and disappointment, marking a key moment in the nineteenth-century struggle for women's emancipation in America. She was soon recognized as the first licensed woman physician in the United States.

Thesis. Shortly after graduating, Blackwell's inaugural thesis on typhoid fever was published in the Buffalo Medical Journal and Monthly Review in 1849. This publication was the first medical article published by a female student from the United States, further cementing her academic achievements.