Virginia Apgar (June 7, 1909 – August 7, 1974)

Virginia Apgar (June 7, 1909 – August 7, 1974) was an American obstetrical anesthetist. She was a leader in the fields of anesthesiology and teratology, and introduced obstetrical considerations to the established field of neonatology. To the public, however, she is best known as the inventor of the Apgar score, a way to quickly assess the health of newborn children immediately after birth.

As the first woman to head a specialty division at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Apgar had her work cut out for her. In conjunction with Dr. Allen Whipple, she built P&S's anesthesia division from the ground up. Apgar was placed in charge of the division's administrative duties and was also tasked with coordinating the staffing of the division and its work throughout the hospital. Throughout much of the 1940s, she was an administrator, teacher, recruiter, coordinator and practicing physician

In 1949, Apgar became the first woman to become a full professor at P&S, where she remained until 1959. During this time, she also did clinical and research work at the affiliated Sloane Hospital for Women, part of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. In 1953, she introduced the first test, called the Apgar score, to assess the health of newborn babies.

In 1959, Apgar left Columbia and earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Also starting in 1959 until her death in 1974, Apgar worked for the March of Dimes Foundation, serving as vice president for Medical Affairs and directing its research program to prevent and treat birth defects. Because gestational age is directly related to an infant’s Apgar score, Apgar was one of the first at the March of Dimes to bring attention to the problem of premature birth, now one of the March of Dimes top priorities. During this time, she wrote and lectured extensively, authoring articles in popular magazines as well as research work. In 1967, Apgar became vice president and director of basic research at The National Foundation-March of Dimes

Honors and awards

· Honorary doctorate, Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1964)

· Honorary doctorate, Mount Holyoke College (1965)

· Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (1966)

· Elizabeth Blackwell Award, from the American Women's Medical Association (1966)

· Honorary doctorate, New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry (1967)

· Alumni Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (1973)

· Ralph M. Waters Award, American Society of Anesthesiologists (1973)