March 8 is International Women’s Day and it has made us think about the impact that women have had on first aid and medicine.

It is fair to say that women have made a huge impact on health and medicine but not just as caregivers. These are just 12 of the most influential women in medicine (but the list could go on for much longer!).

Francoise Barre Sinoussi (1947-)

Francoise is a Parisian scientist that along with Luc Montaigner discovered HIV as the cause of an immunodeficiency disease called AIDS and that it attacked a blood cell that plays a crucial part in the immune system. This discovery has helped millions of HIV sufferers.

Patricia Goldman Rakic (1937-2003)

Patricia is a neuroscientist that made great contributions to the understanding of Alzheimer’s, dementia and Parkinsons. She has also studied dopamine effects on the brain for ADHD and schizophrenia.

Oakley Dayhoff (1925-1983)

Margaret was a biochemist working in the field of genetics before it even became a thing as she developed the compilations of protein and introduced single letter descriptions to allow computer analysis. She made a huge contribution to the advancement of genetic engineering and medical research.

Rosalyn Yalow (1921-2011)

Rosalyn was an American medical physicist who developed the radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique that measures peptide hormones in the blood allowing blood donations to be scanned for diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

Rosalind was a British scientist most known for her understanding of DNA structure and utilising x-rays to solve its complexities including identifying the double helix. She was also a pioneer in molecular structures of Polio and RNA viruses. Her work has resulted in great advancements in genetics and modern medicines.

Gertrude Belle Elion (1918-1999)

Gertrude was an American chemist who worked with George H Hitchins and Sir James Black on rational drug design to target drugs rather than using trial and error. For this, they won a Nobel Prize.

Virginia Apgar (1909-1974)

Virginia is an American physician who invented the Apgar score which tested newborn babies to see if they needed urgent medical attention. This resulted in reduced infant mortality rates and is still a test used today.

Gerty Cori (1896-1957)

Gerty was an American scientist that worked with her husband Carl Ferdinand Cori to discover an enzyme deficiency linked to metabolism disorders. She won a Nobel Prize and several other awards for her contributions to science.

Marie Curie (1867-1934)

Marie was a Polish scientist who with her husband, Pierre, discovered polonium and radium and their radioactive qualities. This led to many advancements in medicine but most importantly the development of x-rays. During World War II, she created mobile medical units to treat the wounded with x-ray machines and generators.

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910)

Elizabeth was British born and fought to get a place in medical school. She finally managed to get a place in America. Her sister, Emily, followed in her footsteps and together they opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children. She played an important role in promoting education for women, especially in medicine.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)

Florence was an English statistician who is known as being the founder of the modern nursing profession with her work in ensuring care for all the ill and injured, founding a school for nursing and planning hospitals.

Metrodora (c200-400AD)

Metrodora was Greek and is one of the oldest known female medical authors where her work covered a range of therapies and surgical techniques which were viewed as revolutionary for the time. Her work has been referenced throughout history by many other physicians.