National Women's History Month is an excellent opportunity to acknowledge some of the many women in medicine who contribute so much to New York City’s public hospital system each day. The theme of this year’s observance is "Celebrations of Women Moving History Forward." Here are just a few of the women of HHC who have made major contributions to health care and medical science.

Dr. Augusta Alba has contributed nearly fifty years of service to Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility. A pioneer in rehabilitation medicine, Dr. Alba worked extensively with polio patients and originated an innovative approach using non-invasive mouth-positive pressure ventilation. The technique freed ventilator dependent patients from institutional ventilators and allowed them to return to their homes.
Dr. Barbara Koppel, a 25-year veteran of Metropolitan Hospital Center and Chief of Neurology since 2000, recently became Director of the hospital’s Stroke Center, the first stroke center in East Harlem designated by the NY State Department of Health. Under her leadership the Stroke Center team provides expert and timely care that can diagnose and treat stroke patients, preventing death and disability.
Dr. May Edward Chinn was the first African American woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical School in 1926 and the first to hold an internship at Harlem Hospital. She was also the first woman to ride with the Harlem Hospital ambulance crew on emergency calls. Dr. Chinn practiced medicine in the Harlem community for fifty years and was a staunch advocate for low income residents. Her work in cancer research at the Strang Clinic in the 1940’s contributed to the development of the Pap smear, a test for early detection of cervical cancer.

March 2007