Virginia Apgar American physician, pediatric anesthesiologist Date of Birth: 07.06.1919 Country: USA

1. Biography of Virginia Apgar
2. Early Life and Education
3. Anesthesia Career
4. Contributions and Achievements
5. Personal Life and Legacy

Biography of Virginia Apgar

Virginia Apgar was an American physician, pediatric anesthesiologist, and the founder of neonatology. She was a leader in the field of anesthesiology and teratology and is best known as the developer of the Apgar Score, a system used worldwide to assess the health of newborns and significantly reduce infant mortality rates.

Early Life and Education

Virginia Apgar was born on June 7, 1909, in Westfield, New Jersey. She was the youngest of three children. In 1925, she graduated from a local high school and decided to pursue a career in medicine. At that time, becoming a female physician and competing with male colleagues in surgery was still challenging.

In 1929, Apgar graduated from Mount Holyoke College, and in 1933, she completed her studies at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. During the Great Depression, her family's financial situation worsened, and Apgar had to support herself while studying, taking out a significant loan to pay for her education.

Anesthesia Career

In 1937, Apgar completed her surgical residency at Columbia University. However, Allen Whipple, the head of the surgery department, convinced her to pursue a career in anesthesiology instead of becoming a practicing surgeon. Whipple saw in Apgar the energy and abilities needed to make a significant contribution to the field. In 1938, Apgar finished her anesthesia internship and returned to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons as the director of the newly formed Division of Anesthesia.

Contributions and Achievements

In 1953, Apgar introduced her first test to the medical community, known as the Apgar Score. Neonatologists around the world still use this scale to assess the condition of newborns one minute and five minutes after birth.

During the rubella pandemic in 1964-1965, Apgar advocated for universal vaccination to prevent transmission of rubella, which can cause severe congenital abnormalities if a woman becomes infected during pregnancy.

From 1959 until her death in 1974, Apgar worked for the March of Dimes Foundation, an organization dedicated to maternal and child health. She served as the vice president for medical affairs and led research programs aimed at preventing and treating birth defects. Apgar was also instrumental in bringing attention to the issue of premature births.

Personal Life and Legacy

Virginia Apgar never married. She often found herself as the only woman in leadership positions and a woman whose work received praise. Despite this, she did not support feminist movements and believed that "a woman is free as soon as she emerges from the womb."

Apgar passed away on August 7, 1974, at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.