Lilian Welsh

Lilian Welsh (March 6, 1858 – February 23, 1938) was an American physician, educator, suffragist, and advocate for women's health. She was on the faculty at Woman's College of Baltimore and an active member of National American Woman Suffrage Association. Welsh was posthumously inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 2017.

Early life and education Welsh was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, on March 6, 1858, to Annie Eunice (née Young) of Wrightsville and Thomas Welsh of Columbia. She was the fourth child and daughter in her family. Her father had served in the Mexican–American War before becoming a merchant and canalboat owner.

In 1873, Welsh graduated from Columbia High School. She graduated from Millersville State Normal School in 1875. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Welsh returned to Columbia High School, where she worked as the principal for five years before entering the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1886. She earned a Doctor of Medicine in 1889. Welsh originally intended to become a physiological chemistry teacher, and attended University of Zurich from 1889 to 1890 to prepare for this.

Career in medicine and health advocacy Welsh never found a teaching position, and later became a physician at Norristown State Hospital in 1890. Two years later, Welsh joined Sherwood, to establish a private practice in Baltimore, Maryland. Welsh and Sherwood were both interested in "preventive medicine and the health of expectant mothers and babies." They encountered gender discrimination and eventually closed their private practice. In 1894, Welsh joined the faculty at Woman's College of Baltimore, later known as Goucher College, and served as the physician to students and as a professor of physiology and hygiene. She taught courses to women in personal and public health and physical exercise. Welsh was known at the college as an outspoken advocate of women's health and hygiene. Welsh associated with Goucher College for thirty years.

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