November 15, 2002

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An MGH pioneer returns

The MGH had a special visit Nov. 5 from a pioneer in the world of women's health. Janet McArthur, MD, ScD - one of the physicians highlighted in the "History of Women in Medicine" exhibit displayed in the Main Corridor - came to see the exhibit, which is sponsored by the MGH Office for Women's Careers. The display features women physicians from the past who have helped build the reputation of the MGH and have paved the path for today's women in medicine.

McArthur first joined the MGH in 1943. She received her first appointment in 1950 as instructor in Pediatrics. When she later became professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harvard Medical School (HMS), she was the first woman from the MGH to become a full professor at HMS. She has made several important contributions to women's health research and has written 68 papers about women's health and endocrine research throughout her career. From 1963 to 1967, she served on the subcommittee for the Standards of the Pituitary Hormone Distribution Committee of the Endocrinology Study Section of the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Disease.

"Janet was and is an icon in the field of women's health," says Issac Schiff, MD, chief of the MGH Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service. "She revolutionized the field and made it easier for all of us who have followed in her footsteps. Anyone in the women's health profession is privileged to know and work with Janet."

Friends, family and staff gathered in the Main Corridor to view the exhibit, which highlights McArthur and six other women physicians at the MGH. One of those physicians is Patricia Donahoe, MD, current chief of MGH Pediatric Surgery, who was mentored by McArthur. A special reception was held after the viewing to honor McArthur for her years of service, research and contributions to the field of women's health.

Above, McArthur before her photo in the "History of Women in Medicine" exhibit