ALICE HAMILTON, MD1893, became interested in pursuing a career in medicine early in life, believing it would allow the opportunity to travel and be of help wherever she went. After graduating from U-M and continuing her studies in bacteriology and pathology (including travel to Germany), Hamilton became a professor at the Woman’s Medical School of Northwestern University in Chicago. While there, she also began a residence at Hull House, the reformist institution dedicated to addressing poverty, worker safety, and social justice matters concerning the working class. This experience shaped her path forward, including accepting a position as an assistant professor of industrial medicine at Harvard Medical School in 1919. Notably, her appointment pre-dated the medical school accepting female students in 1945 (Radcliffe College, originally founded as the Harvard Annex in 1879, previously served to grant women access to education from Harvard faculty).
For a list of other notable U-M grads, visit alumni.umich.edu/notable-alumni.
