Opportunities for Medical Women as Internes

In the 1920s, internships were important to moving forward with one's medical education. The Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP), founded in 1850, graduated its first African American woman physician, Rebecca Cole, in 1867.  By 1906, the college had graduated at least twelve African American women.  The path of these early black women physicians was often marked by financial struggle and racial and gender discrimination, starting with their medical education and continuing throughout their professional careers.

As students, the women faced both subtle and overt racial prejudice from fellow students, professors, and the public. Once they graduated, they faced both racial and gender discrimination while establishing their professional careers.  The article on pages 138-139 in this issue of The Medical Woman's Journal, entitled, "Opportunities for Medical Women as Internes: The Colored Medical Woman Interne," advocates for equal opportunity for women interns, regardless of race.