Sturgis, Katherine R. (Katherine Rosenbaum), 1903-1987

Katharine Rosenbaum Guest Boucot Sturgis was born in Philadelphia on 3 September 1903. She attended William Penn High School and began her pre-medical studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 1922. Her education was interrupted, however, by her marriage, the birth of two children, and a divorce. Later, Sturgis completed her undergraduate degree at Penn State University. She entered Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1935 but was forced to leave school when she contracted tuberculosis. After a year of recovery, she resumed her studies and earned her medical degree in 1940. Sturgis began her medical career as an intern at the Woman's Medical College Hospital and later accepted a residency in pulmonary diseases at Herman Kiefer Hospital in Detroit. Sturgis then returned to Philadelphia to teach at the Woman's Medical College, but she remained interested in pulmonary disease and continued to conduct research in the early detection of lung cancer and tuberculosis. Later in life, she waged a vigorous campaign to inform the public of the hazards of smoking.

Katharine R, Sturgis's connection with the College of Physicians of Philadelphia began in 1951 when she was elected a Fellow. In 1972, after more than twenty years as a member, Sturgis became the College's first woman president. A year later she was forced to retire due to health problems.

Throughout her career, Katharine R, Sturgis received numerous honors. She was elected the first woman president of the Philadelphia County Medical Society in 1967 and became president of the American College of Preventive Medicine in 1969. She was the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Trudeau Medal, the Strittmatter Award, the Elizabeth Blackwell Award, and the Philadelphia Gimbel Award. Katharine R, Sturgis died in Philadelphia on 28 March 1987.