Blog Posts Five Large Contributions Women Made in Healthcare March 7 | 3 mins Did you know that today women make up 77.6 percent of the total healthcare workforce in the US? This field may have a strong female presence now, but it wasn’t always this way. In honor of National Women’s Day, we want to introduce you to five women whose contributions changed the face of the medical field. Each of these women in healthcare and science broke down barriers to champion equality, education, and the advancement of women in the workforce during a time when it was extremely unpopular to do so. Here are five contributions women made in healthcare that hugely impacted our world. Alice Evans‘ Contribution Led to Safer Milk The discovery of the bacterium responsible for undulant fever led to the practice of pasteurizing milk in the 1930s. We owe this to microbiologist Alice Evans. With no doctorate or medical degree to her name, she made waves in her community when microbiology was in its early stages. Because of her discovery, she became the first female president of the Society of American Bacteriologists. Florence Seibert’s Contribution led to the First Tuberculosis Test Biochemist Florence Seibert was responsible for this ground-breaking advancement. Tuberculosis (also known as consumption) had killed one in seven people that lived by the 19th century. This testing is still the standard today, and confirmed Tuberculosis is easily treated in almost all cases with a mix of antibiotics administered over six months. Even after retirement, she continued to research on a volunteer basis and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame at age 90. Dame Cicely Saunders’ Contribution was the Founding of Hospice Although hospice-like care is believed to have been established in the 11th century during the Crusades, the modern-day hospice system has only existed since the 1960s. In 1963, British physician Dame Cicely Saunders gave a talk at Yale University about her ideas of specialized care for the dying. She worked with terminally ill patients in London for several years but didn’t open the first hospice ‘St. Christopher’s’ until 1967. Inspired by Seibert’s Yale visit, Dr. Florence Wald, Dean of the Yale School of Nursing, opened the first US hospice in Branford, Connecticut, in 1974. As of 2023, the US has 1,805 hospices and palliative care centers in the US. The centers are vital to end-of-life care and are instrumental in making a challenging situation for patients and their families easier. Gertrude Elion’s Contribution Led to the Possibility of Organ Transplants At age 15, Gertrude Elion witnessed her grandfather die painfully from stomach cancer. It was then she set out to pursue her life’s mission of alleviating suffering from medical conditions. Her greatest discovery came when she developed azathioprine, also known as Imuran. This discovery makes organ transplants possible; a procedure performed 3,636 times in the US in the past year. Elion’s work also pioneered a new era of antiviral therapy that opened the doors to the first drug discovered to treat AIDS. An illness that has killed an estimated 1 million people worldwide since the start of its epidemic. Marie Curie’s Contribution was the Discovery of Radium and Polonium and Their Use in Cancer Treatments Marie Curie is arguably one of the most famous women in scientific history. Still, many don’t know the specifics of her story. She and her husband, Pierre Curie, discovered radium and polonium and coined the term “radioactive.” Because of this work, she became the first woman to receive a doctorate degree in France. She and her husband provided radium for the first treatment known as “brachytherapy” in 1901. Shortly after, the famous Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center started the groundbreaking therapy in 1903. During World War I, she hid her radium research to create, with her daughter, hundreds of standing x-ray facilities in France to assist wounded soldiers on the frontlines. To this day, Curie is the only woman to have received two Nobel Prizes. Her contributions to cancer treatment are still used today, helping the estimated 1.9 million people diagnosed with cancer in the US in 2022 alone. We are honored to celebrate these women in healthcare and science, their contributions, and the doors they opened for future generations. To learn about more women in healthcare that have helped pave the way, read our previous blog celebrating International Women’s Day! share this post Other Posts You Might Like read more Blog Posts Wake Up and Workout – Why Morning Exercise is Better for You March 21 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Five Large Contributions Women Made in Healthcare March 7 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Why Annual Physicals Are a Vital Preventative Care Element March 1 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Investing in Employee Benefits Education is Beneficial to Both Employees and Employers January 30 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Health Benefits Education and Direct Primary Care Can Lower Costs for Self-Funded Groups January 30 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Americans are Five Times More Likely to Experience Increased Stress Levels During the Holidays December 20 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts How Benefit Design Can Help Employers Remain Competitive December 7 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Prediabetes: When to Worry About the Precursor to Diabetes November 17 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts An Affordable Healthcare Alternative for Non-Benefited Employees April 25 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Direct Primary Care is a Win for Brokers, Employers, and Employees February 22 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts A New Healthcare Offering for Uninsured Children February 18 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Hope for Escalating Healthcare Costs February 18 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Give Employers an Affordable Complement to HDHPs February 18 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts DPC: A No-Claims Approach to Essential Primary Care February 11 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts What Employees Really Want in a Job January 31 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Solutions to Alleviate Financial Worries in Healthcare January 24 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts DPC Addresses Cumulative Effects of Inflation and Escalating Health Insurance Costs January 17 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Addressing Healthcare Deserts with Affordable Solutions January 10 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts A New Approach to Customized Benefits January 3 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Employee Well-Being is the New Normal December 6 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts The U.S. Ranks Last in Healthcare Equity and Affordability Among High-Income Nations November 17 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Diabetes Awareness Can Save Lives [Affordable Access to Healthcare Can Help Detect, Treat and Manage Chronic Diseases Such as Diabetes] November 8 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Benefits as a Recruitment Strategy [Cost-Effective Solutions Such As Direct Primary Care Provide Customizable Benefits] September 20 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts The Importance of Health Screenings [Direct Primary Care Memberships Provide Access to Routine Healthcare] September 15 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Helping Employees Understand Their Benefits September 2 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts The Consequences of Delaying Medical Care August 18 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Major Shifts in Healthcare [Implementing Long-Term Strategies for Telemedicine and Virtual Care] August 4 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Why Millennials Ignore Health Issues July 19 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Anti-Aging Secrets: An Unexpected Benefit of Primary Care? July 2 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Creative Healthcare Solutions for States with the Least Coverage June 23 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Three Overlooked Groups Looking for Innovative Healthcare Solutions [How Direct Primary Care Can Address Their Needs] June 15 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Data-Driven Insights for Building Better Health Plans June 9 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts DPC Practices Seek to End Disparities in Healthcare May 27 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts The Relationship Between Physical Health and Mental Health [How to Promote Better Physical and Mental Wellbeing] May 19 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Primary Care Counteracts the Negative Impact of Poor Economic Conditions on Health April 27 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Two Accelerating Contributors to Health Inequity [How Medication Insecurity and Healthcare Homelessness Calls for Better Access to Primary Medical Care] April 22 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Health Plan Design is a Strategic Business Decision April 1 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Increased Demand for Virtual Healthcare Going Forward March 19 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Chronic Disease Management Provides Big ROI March 10 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Be Prepared for the New Normal Through the Power of Partnerships March 2 | 4 mins read more Blog Posts Looking into Healthcare’s Crystal Ball – The Present and Future of Direct Primary Care February 19 | 4 mins read more Blog Posts Affordable Healthcare Alternatives Can Minimize the Fallout from COVID February 12 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Affordable Healthcare and Financial Literacy for Millennials [How Direct Primary Care Delivers the On-Demand Healthcare Experience that Millennials Want] February 3 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Direct Primary Care Helps Address Healthcare Inequality for Children [Accessible and Unlimited Primary Care] January 26 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Role of Direct Primary Care in Healthcare Equality [How Affordable and convenient care isn’t just a tagline] January 21 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts The Small Businesses Healthcare Revolution December 7 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts 3 Reasons You Should Be Having as Much Fun as Possible November 2 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Nextgen Solutions to Keep Families Healthy September 28 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts The Future of Primary Care [ How the Primary Care Landscape is Adapting to a Mobile Workforce ] September 25 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts The ABCs of DPC – The Building Blocks of Healthcare [ What is Direct Primary Care and Why is it Important? ] September 22 | 4 mins read more Blog Posts Caregiver Burnout: Tips for Self-Care [How to care for yourself so you can care for others] September 14 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Optimal Cholesterol Levels Help Maintain Optimal Health August 28 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Celebrating Women’s Contributions to Healthcare August 20 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Healthcare for the Service Sector August 6 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Prepare for a New Normal July 30 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Tips for a Happy and Healthy Summer July 24 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts A Solution for Disparities in Healthcare July 17 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts 3 Ways Artificial Intelligence is Changing Healthcare July 8 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Prevention is the Best Strategy for Chronic Disease July 6 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Healthcare2U Launches Redesigned Website to Better Support Brokers, Employers and Members June 26 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Doctors Love Direct Primary Care June 16 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Is There Such a Thing as Balance? May 29 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Men Visit the Doctor Less Than Women May 12 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Hidden Causes of Hypertension May 12 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Solutions for Anxiety and Depression May 12 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts The Importance of Primary Care May 12 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts DPC Will Be Crucial for Health Plans Going Forward May 6 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Tips to Stay Fit at Home April 29 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts The Connection Between Health and Friendship April 20 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Stress Relief in Times of Uncertainty April 14 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts 3 Powerful Ways to Boost Your Immune System April 1 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts COVID-19: Tips to Stay Safe and Healthy March 25 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts How Employee Burnout Increases Healthcare Costs March 25 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Coronavirus: Stay Calm and Aware, But Don’t Panic March 25 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts The Link Between Technology and Depression March 25 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Finding Solutions for Surprise Medical Billing March 25 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts 3 Ways Love Can Improve Your Health March 25 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts How Physical Fitness Benefits Mental Health March 25 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Tips for a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season March 25 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Five Ways to Reduce The Risk of Back Pain March 25 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Five Factors Contributing to Childhood Obesity March 25 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Five Things Employers Should Consider When Looking for a Direct Primary Care Provider March 25 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts National Women’s History Month: Five Influential Women in Medicine March 11 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Heart Failure Awareness Week February 11 | < 1 min read more Blog Posts Our Hearts are Healthier Together February 5 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Employers Seek Alternative Solutions to Solve Rising Benefit Plan Costs January 28 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts The Real Impact of Chronic Diseases in America January 21 | 4 mins read more Blog Posts Conquering Your New Year’s Resolutions December 20 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Winter Wellness December 20 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Employer Provided Healthcare Isn’t Making the Cut December 20 | < 1 min read more Blog Posts Breast Cancer Research: The Breakthroughs of Today for Those Diagnosed Tomorrow October 24 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Breast Cancer Facts and Myths October 10 | < 1 min read more Blog Posts Fighting a Killer September 28 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts 7 Ways to Celebrate Women’s Health & Fitness Day September 26 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts The Fight Against Childhood Obesity September 10 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Five Tips to Prepare for a Healthier School Year August 22 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Sticking to a Healthy Eating Plan over the Holidays and into the New Year November 29 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Focus on Diabetes – Preventing a Killer November 1 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Direct Primary Care Delivering Lower Costs, Better Patient Experience October 12 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts Savings 101: Healthcare strategies for self-funded companies September 12 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts Embarking on a Path to Health and Wellness August 22 | 3 mins read more Blog Posts The Rise of Telemedicine July 25 | 2 mins read more Blog Posts What is a Healthcare Advocate? October 7 | 2 mins CONTACT US BECOME A PART OF THE SOLUTION Redefine the healthcare experience with No-Claims Healthcare™ Contact us