Significant portions of the following blog consist of text from a corresponding exhibit originally curated by former Historical Collections staff.

The celebration of Women's History Month gives us another opportunity to showcase the extraordinary women of UVA Health in the past and present. 

The first woman to graduate from the School of Medicine was Sara Ruth Dean, Class of 1922. Dean had previously completed two years of medical courses at the University of Mississippi and was able to graduate after only two years of study at UVA. Dean is pictured here in the second row from the back.

Historical Collections has many items belonging to Captain Ruth Beery of the 8th Evacuation Hospital.

In 1925, Beery began her study of nursing at the University of Virginia. She received her diploma in 1928 and became the acting pediatric supervisor. While a graduate student in public health nursing at the University of Minnesota, she was asked to become the principal chief nurse of the World War II hospital sponsored by the University of Virginia. Before she could accept the offer, the Army had to grant her an age waiver as she was 41, one year older than the Army age limit for entering service. Commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps, she was instrumental in recruiting nurses to serve and dedicated herself whole-heartedly to the task, appealing for help by personal interviews, letters, speeches, and radio. About 50 nurses were recruited and left Charlottesville for training. According to Byrd Leavell’s book on the 8th Evacuation Hospital, Beery was a “capable nurse and competent administrator” who “was unselfish; her concern was for the comfort of the sick and wounded, the duties and welfare of the nurses, and the reputation of the 8th Evacuation Hospital.” She served as chief of nurses for the duration of the war, obtained the rank of captain, and was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Check out this digital exhibit to learn more about Beery, read her correspondence, and view her uniforms: http://exhibits.hsl.virginia.edu/8theva.../about_ruth_beery/

Whenever given the opportunity, we love to share the inspiring story of Vivian Winona Pinn (1941- ), UVA School of Medicine, Class of 1967.

Dr. Vivian Pinn graduated from UVA as the only female and sole minority member of the School of Medicine’s Class of 1967. She began a distinguished career at Tufts Medical School and then moved to Howard University College of Medicine, where she became the first African American woman to chair a U.S. academic department of pathology. In 1991, the National Institutes of Health established a new Office of Research on Women’s Health and selected Pinn to serve as the unit’s first director. In this position, Pinn spent two decades advocating for the inclusion of women in research studies and promoting opportunities for women in scientific fields. Her numerous awards and accolades include her reception of the Elizabeth Blackwell Award from the American Medical Women’s Association and election into the Institute of Medicine, both in 1995.

At UVA, Pinn received the Distinguished Alumna Award in 1992, and in 2005 became the first African American woman to give the University’s Commencement address. One of the four colleges of the UVA School of Medicine is named for Pinn, and in 2016, a central medical education and research building in the UVA Health System was rededicated in her honor.