Barbara Stimson

Barbara Bartlett Stimson (1898–1986) was the first woman to be certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1940. She was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War II. She is recognized for eliminating obstacles for women pursuing medical careers, particularly in surgery. Barbara's sister, Julia Stimson, also made significant contributions as the Director of Nursing Services for the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I.

Barbara Stimson knew from an early age that she intended to become a doctor. Her parents held forward-thinking views about their children's education and encouraged her to pursue this career. "Father was far ahead of his time," Dr. Stimson remembered, "in an educational philosophy for his four daughters. We were never told 'you mustn't do that—it's only for boys.'... And Mother, profiting by her own unpleasant experience, had sworn a little swear that any daughter of hers would do what she wanted to do." Stimson's first attempt to go to England was with a volunteer orthopedic group, but her application was denied since only women nurses were allowed. Later in her career, Dr. Esther Lovejoy helped Stimson by adding her name to a registry of medical women in the United States who were qualified to serve in case of a national emergency. Great Britain requested 1,000 male medical doctors to help care for civilians. Since the request came after the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, only 100 male doctors were available. As a result, the American Red Cross recruited female doctors for the British Emergency Medical Services. Stimson left her position as third in rank on the Fracture Service at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center for the opportunity. She went to England and was commissioned as a Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1942.

In 1943, Dr. Stimson was moved to a Royal Army Medical Corps hospital in North Africa where she was named senior surgeon in the orthopedic surgical team. After their conversation, the two went to the Pentagon to advocate for this cause. Three months later, the United States Army began commissioning women in the medical department after President Roosevelt signed into law the Sparkman-Johnson Act which authorized women physicians commissions in the medical corps . Shortly after, Stimson was sent to an orthopedic center in Algeria.

Stimson was honorably discharged and returned to the United States in 1945, she was awarded two distinguished military medals and was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire by King George VI. ; this award was named in honor of Elizabeth Blackwell, who was the first woman to gain admission to and graduate from medical school. In 1959, she became the first female President of the Dutchess County Medical Society and the first female member of the New York Surgical Society. First woman president of the Dutchess County Medical Society in 1959 First female member of the New York Surgical Society in 1959 Investiture as Associate Officer of the Venerable Order of St. John of Jerusalem in 1960 Named "Woman of the Year" by the Poughkeepsie Business and Professional Women's Club in 1963

Notable papers

Stimson, B. B. (1956). A manual of fractures and dislocations (3rd ed.). Lea & Febiger. Stimson Barbara B.. The Low Back Problem. Psychosomatic Medicine 9(3):p 210, May 1947. Wiggers, C. J., & Stimson, B. (2025). Studies on the cardiodynamic actions of drugs III: The mechanism of cardiac stimulation by digitalis and g-strophanthin. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 30(3), 251–269. Feinstein, I., Hilger, P., Szachowicz, E., & Stimson, B. (1987). Laser therapy of dysphonia plica ventricularis. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, 96(1), 56–57. 000348948709600113 Stimson, B. B., & Swenson, P. C. (1935). Unilateral subluxations of the cervical vertebrae without associated fracture. JAMA, 104(18), 1578–1579. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1935.02760180010003 Stimson B. B. (1946). The Treatment of Compound Fractures in the Italian Campaign. Annals of surgery, 124(2), 435–442. Stimson, B. B. (1927). Changes in the oxygen capacity of the blood pigment of rabbits following splenectomy. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 75(1), 95–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9258(18)84178-3 Stimson, B. B. (1927). Changes in the oxygen capacity of the blood pigment of rabbits following the administration of nitrobenzene. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 75(3), 741–744. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9258(18)84142-4 Stimson, B. B., & Hrubetz, M. C. (1928). Changes in the oxygen capacity of the blood pigment of rabbits following partial hepatectomy. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 78(2), 413–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-9258(18)84001-7 DeBold, C., & Stimson, B. B. (1957). Treatment of injuries involving the subtalar joint. The American Journal of Surgery, 93(4), 604–608. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9610(57)90516-0 Stimson, B. B. (2004). Your hips and mine. The American Journal of Surgery, 80(6), 663–665. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9610(50)90589-7 Wiggers, C. J., & Stimson, B. B. (1927). Studies on the cardiodynamic actions of drugs III: The mechanism of cardiac stimulation by digitalis and g-strophanthin. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 30(3), 251–269. Stimson, B. B. (1947). The use of internal fixation in compound fractures. The American Journal of Surgery, 74(5), 697–704. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9610(47)90226-2 Stimson, B. B. (1940). Fractures. The Physical Therapy Review, 20(6), 336–338. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/20.6.336