Clara Marshall

Clara Marshall (May 8, 1847 – March 13, 1931) was an American physician, educator, and author. She was dean of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania from 1888 to 1917.

Early life and education Clara Marshall was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the daughter of prominent Quakers Mary and Pennock Marshall. She initially worked as a schoolteacher, and at age 24 she enrolled in the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Her instructors included Rachel Bodley (chemistry), Ann Preston (physiology), Emeline Horton Cleveland (obstetrics), and Mary Scarlett-Dixon (anatomy). After this she was made a professor of materia medica and therapeutics at the Woman's Medical College, a title she would retain until 1905. In 1886 she became an attending physician at the Girls' Department of the Philadelphia House of Refuge. During her tenure, her achievements included expanding degree programs from three to four years, increasing the number of subjects taught, and instituting an entrance exam. In 1904, Marshall's fundraising efforts resulted in the construction of Pavilion Hospital on the college grounds. From 1907 to 1913 this was expanded to the larger College Hospital. She retired as dean in 1917 and worked in private practice until shortly before her death from arteriosclerosis in 1931.

Marshall was a member of organizations such as the Philadelphia County Medical Society, the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia, the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania, and the American Medical Association. She was a founding member of the New Century Club, and advocated for women's suffrage and the admission of women to medical societies. She was a school board member and a school director in Philadelphia's Eighth Ward.