According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, 36.3% of active U.S. physicians are women—a number made possible by early trailblazers who defied social norms to pursue medical degrees. A recently uncovered 1885 photograph from Drexel University College of Medicine highlights three such pioneers: Anandibai Joshee from India, Kei Okami from Japan, and Sabat Islambooly from Syria, the first licensed women doctors of their respective countries in Western medicine.
Taken at the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP), one of the first medical schools for women, the photo shows them in traditional attire, symbolizing a groundbreaking moment in history. WMCP, founded by Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree, was notable for welcoming African-American and international students.
Each woman’s journey was remarkable. Joshee pursued medicine after losing her infant child and graduated in 1886, but she died of tuberculosis at 22. Okami, class of 1889, became a head gynecologist in Tokyo, later establishing a nursing school before retiring due to breast cancer. Islambooly, who graduated in 1890, remains less documented, but her story reflects the shared legacy of these pioneers.
Their efforts paved the way for women in medicine today, inspiring a vision of greater equity and inclusion in the field.
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