Women Physician Pioneers of the 1960s: Their Lives and Profession Over a Half Century

Female physicians were nearly invisible in the United States of the mid-1960s. Less than 7% of practicing physicians were women and only 8% of medical students were female. The motivation and character of women who aspired to become physicians had never been the subject of serious inquiry. Into this vacuum of knowledge, psychologist Lillian K. Cartwright, PhD, entered. She began a study of female physicians by recruiting the women at the University of California, School of Medicine, in the four entering classes of 1964 through 1967, as the subjects for her PhD dissertation. She then carefully followed them for the next twenty-five years. To complete this historic, longitudinal study to span half a century, Susan E. Detweiler, MD, now narrates the complete arc of the professional and personal lives of this group of remarkable women. They were born during World War II, studied medicine amid the turmoil of the 1960s and the Vietnam War, and forged careers into leadership within the male universe of American medicine. Their individual stories are a testament to their intellect, motivation, and perseverance, told with humor, empathy, and the insight that only a member of the group could bring.