Sophia Kleegman

Sophia Josephine Kleegman (1901–1971) was a Russian American obstetrician, gynecologist, and sex education advocate. She was a pioneer in the study of infertility.

Biography Sophia Kleegman was born on July 8, 1901, in Kiev, Russian Empire to Israel and Elka Siergutz Kleegman. In 1906 her family emigrated to the United States, settling in New York. She was accepted into the second coeducational class of Bellevue Hospital Medical College (now the New York University School of Medicine) in 1920. Following her graduation in 1924, she held a residency at the Chicago Lying-in Hospital. Thereafter she practiced gynecology and obstetrics. In 1929 she was appointed to the faculty of obstetrics and gynecology at the New York University College of Medicine. She was the first woman to be appointed to the faculty. She joined the attending staff of Bellevue Hospital that same year.

From the 1930s on, Kleegman published several papers on the diagnosis and treatment of infertility. She was an early advocate of artificial insemination and the establishment of sperm banks. She had a highly successful private practice.

Personal life As she was already established professionally, Kleegman retained her name when she married orthodontist John H. Sillman on December 31, 1932. They had two children, Frederick Holden (b. 1937) and Anne Marice (b. 1941).

Selected publications