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Notable women throughout history include who helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States. “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” – Rosa Parks (1913-2005), civil rights activist.

In the mid-19^th century, Sophia Jex-Blake was unable to earn her medical degree due to barriers in the system that discriminated against her gender. To overcome this, she established her own school of medicine. Founded in 1874, the London School of Medicine for Women was the first and only place a woman could earn a medical degree in the UK for many years. Between 1874-1911, the number of women doctors in the country increased from 2-495. She also established a hospital in Edinburgh providing women doctors with jobs and women patients with high-quality care for 80 years.

Henrietta Lacks was a Black woman whose cancer cells were taken without her consent. These cells are the source of the Hela cell line, one of the most important cell lines in medical research. In October 2021, Henrietta Lacks was recognised by the WHO, “In honouring Henrietta Lacks, WHO acknowledges the importance of reckoning with past scientific injustices and advancing racial equity in health and science. It’s also an opportunity to recognise women – particularly women of colour – who have made incredible but often unseen contributions to medical science.”