Our Historical Commitment to Inclusive Excellence

Drexel University College of Medicine has a rich history as an institution of opportunity for individuals who were often excluded from medical education due to societal barriers. Our heritage as the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, the first medical school in the world for women, and Hahnemann University, our homeopathic legacy institution, reflects a commitment to fostering opportunities for nontraditional students. We have been graduating a broad population of physicians and scientists since the 19th century.

Read more about the history of Drexel University College of Medicine

In 1848, the Homeopathic College of Pennsylvania was established by Constantine Hering, Jacob Jeanes, and Walter Williamson to provide training in what was then an emerging system of medicine called homeopathy. In 1869, the Homeopathic College was renamed in honor of Samuel Hahnemann, one of the pioneers of homeopathic medicine, as Hahnemann Medical College.

In 1850, the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (1850-1867) was established by Quaker businessmen, clergy, and physicians. Headed by philanthropist William J. Mullen, the school became the world's first medical school for women. Later, this would become Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Annie Lowrie Alexander, MD

"Dr. Annie," as she was known, was initially educated by her physician father. She graduated from Woman's Med in 1884.

Alumni Stories

"American Women Physicians in World War I"

The Legacy Center's collections on women in medicine include a rich variety of resources on women's caregiving during the war. Although 56 women physicians served in the military, they were not commissioned officers as men were. Instead they worked as "contract surgeons," and only 11 of them served at the front. Pulse (Summer 2017)

"Dr. Annie: Still Making Her Mark"

At a time when most women could not vote or get a bank loan, Annie Lowrie Alexander, MD, an alumna of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, was a charter member — and became president — of the Mecklenburg County Medical Society. The first licensed female physician in North Carolina, Alexander opened her practice in Charlotte in 1887 and served the community for more than 40 years. Drexel University College of Medicine Alumni Magazine (Spring/Summer 2017)

"Perspective from a Progressive Past"

The College of Medicine at Drexel is the successor institution to the world's first and longest-lasting medical school for women. The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania opened in 1850 and is estimated to have produced as many as a third of all American women physicians until 1968. Pulse (Winter 2016)

Eliza Grier (1897)

Eliza Grier, graduate of Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, class of 1897, was born into slavery. Eliza worked for a year picking cotton to pay for the next year's medical school, taking her seven years to graduate. After graduating, she went to North Carolina to practice.

Thomas Creigh Imes, MD, Class of 1884

Thomas Imes (1884)

Thomas Creigh Imes, was the first African American to graduate from Hahnemann, class of 1884. He served the Philadelphia community in his practice and also as a board member of Mercy Hospital in Philadelphia.

L. Rosa Minoka Hill (1899)

Dr. L. Rosa Minoka Hill, Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, class of 1899, was a Mohawk, raised by Quakers. She lived and worked on the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin. In 1947 she received the Indian Achievement medal for personal achievement and humanitarian service to her people.

In Their Own Words

"Hahnemann had a place for us. We came to medicine as the first generation in our families. You have to remember that as a Jew, a Catholic, or any other minority back then, you didn't have much of a chance of getting into a medical school anywhere."
Herb, Hahnemann University, Class of 1956

"At Hahnemann, it didn't matter where you came from, you just had to be competent. We were taught that if you're smart enough and listen hard enough, the patient will tell you what is wrong."
Ana, Hahnemann University, Class of 1968

 
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