Born on May 4, 1874, to James Grant Davis and Jane Mitchell Davis, Annie emerged from humble beginnings on a farm near Jarvis, Ontario. Her initial career as a schoolteacher would eventually give way to a deeper calling in medicine, leading her to graduate with first-class honors from the Ontario Medical College for Women and Trinity University in Toronto in 1902.

After practicing for a few years in Brigden, Ontario, Dr. Davis relocated to Hamilton, where she established her first home and medical office at 576 Barton Street East. The year 1910 marked a significant expansion of her practice when she and her sister Esther Davis, a pharmacist, purchased a lot at the northeast corner of King Street East and Arthur Avenue. Here, they constructed two buildings: a combined doctor’s office and drug store and a house where they lived. These buildings, still standing today, signify the tangible legacy of Dr. Davis’s commitment to her profession and community.

Dr. Annie Davis passed away on March 5, 1919, at the age of 44, after years of dedicated service to her community, even in the face of personal health challenges. Her obituary in the Hamilton Spectator hailed her as a “faithful and indomitable physician,” respected by peers and cherished by many for her unwavering commitment, especially during the critical times of war when she believed every hand was needed. Dr. Davis leaves behind a legacy enshrined in the Davis Collection at the Hamilton Public Library Local History and Archives—a testament to a life devoted to the well-being of others, marking her as one of Hamilton’s early medical pioneers.

Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw was a notable Canadian physician and a pioneering advocate for women’s reproductive rights. Born on October 18, 1881, in Cannington, Ontario, she made significant contributions to women’s health care in Canada, particularly in the area of family planning.

Bagshaw attended the Ontario Medical College for Women in Toronto, which later merged with the University of Toronto, from where she graduated in 1905. She started her medical practice in Hamilton, Ontario, and became one of the first female physicians in the area. Dr. Bagshaw’s career spanned over 60 years, during which she provided medical care to generations of families and became a respected figure in her community.

One of her most notable contributions was her involvement with the Hamilton Birth Control Clinic, which she helped to open in 1932. At the time, birth control was a highly controversial topic and often illegal. Dr. Bagshaw served as the medical director of the clinic for many years, working under challenging conditions to provide women with access to contraceptive advice and services. The clinic was the first of its kind in Canada, marking a significant step forward in the fight for women’s reproductive rights and health care.

Born in London, England, in 1897 and moving to Hamilton, Canada, with her family in 1913, Nora-Frances Henderson embarked on a journalism career in 1918 at the Hamilton Herald. By 1921, she was editing the Women’s Page, leveraging her platform to champion women’s involvement in civic matters, notably influencing the inclusion of women on the Hamilton General Hospital Board in 1929.

Transitioning from journalism to politics, Henderson became Hamilton’s first female Alderman in 1932 and then its first female City Controller in 1934. Serving on the Board of Control for thirteen years until 1947, she then significantly contributed to the Children’s Aid Society of Ontario as its Executive Secretary until her passing in 1949.

Henderson’s numerous contributions to healthcare in Hamilton were celebrated through the inauguration of the Nora Frances Henderson Convalescent Hospital in 1954, a tribute that came five years posthumously. In a significant move in 1962, the Henderson and Mount Hamilton Hospital merged with the Hamilton General Hospital, marking the formation of the Hamilton Civic Hospitals. This merger led to the Mount Hamilton Hospital gradually losing its distinct identity, and by 1965, it was integrated into the Henderson, eventually known as the Henderson General Hospital. In a nod to its ongoing evolution, the hospital underwent redevelopment in 2010 and was renamed the Juravinski Hospital.

Henrietta Alderson was a nurse, educator, and historian.

A native of Caledonia, Ontario, Alderson was born in 1915 and completed her nursing education at the Hamilton General Hospital School of Nursing in 1938, later acquiring a teaching and supervision diploma from the University of Toronto School of Nursing. She spent two years teaching nursing arts at her alma mater before instructing science at Brandon Mental Hospital. Alderson furthered her education in New York City, achieving a Bachelor of Science from Columbia University in 1949. In 1947, she became a foundational faculty member at McMaster University’s  School of Nursing, contributing to the development of its five-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program alongside Alma Reid and Florence Greenaway. Between 1974 and 1975, she conducted dozens of oral history interviews with former students, faculty members, directors, and other administrators leaving behind a legacy captured in her book “Twenty-five years a-growing: the History of the McMaster University School of Nursing.” Alderson retired in 1975. She passed away on December 25, 2000, at the age of 85.

Alderson made significant contributions to the School of Nursing history and to the Health Sciences Archives at McMaster. Notably, Alderson curated a collection of dolls displayed in the School’s foyer, each adorned in historical nursing uniforms from the past five decades. She also initiated the search for photographs of early graduating classes, ensuring the preservation of a comprehensive photographic history of graduates from the 1940s onwards.

Dr. Irene Ayako Uchida, born on April 8, 1917, in Vancouver, British Columbia, was a pioneering Canadian geneticist renowned for her research on chromosomal abnormalities and their effects on human development (cytogenetics).

Overcoming the significant challenges posed by her internment as a Japanese Canadian during World War II, she earned a Ph.D. in zoology from McGill University in 1951. Uchida’s notable work began at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg, where she discovered the link between prenatal X-ray exposure and chromosomal abnormalities in newborns, significantly impacting medical protocols regarding X-ray use during pregnancy. Her contributions to understanding Down syndrome were groundbreaking, making her one of the first to study its chromosomal characteristics and laying the groundwork for further genetic condition research.

In 1969, Uchida’s career took her to McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where she was a professor of pediatrics and pathology. She would retire as a professor emerita in 1985. Her tenure at McMaster solidified her status as a leading figure in genetics, where she continued her impactful research and played a crucial role in educating future geneticists and medical professionals.

Dr. Mary K. Tremblay was an occupational therapist, educator, scholar of disability and rehabilitation, and an advocate for disabled peoples.

Tremblay earned her doctorate in 1993 at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Later that decade, she developed and taught one of the first courses on Human Rights and Disability, a course which won the 1997 McMaster University President’s Award for Course Design and was published by Amnesty International. Tremblay served as Curriculum Chair for the new Master of Clinical Health Sciences (Occupational Therapy) Program and was a member of the Program in Medical History. She retired in August 2009.

Tremblay was a central figure in the study of the history of disability and rehabilitation, and human rights of disabled peoples. She was particularly interested in the experiences of veterans and civilians who had suffered a spinal cord injury during the Second World War, with whom she conducted oral history interviews. Committed to social justice for disabled peoples, she was also an advocate for disabled war veterans and the disability rights movement.

Dr. May Cohen, born in 1931, is a distinguished Canadian physician and educator. Her highest honors include being inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2016, and appointed as an Officer in the Order of Canada in 2017. Cohen has made significant contributions to medical education, women’s health, and the advocacy for the rights of women physicians and patients.

Dr. Cohen graduated from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine in 1955 and went on to have a profound impact on the medical community in Canada. One of her notable achievements was her work at McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, where she was instrumental in integrating women’s health into the medical curriculum. This was a pioneering move at the time, highlighting issues such as domestic violence, sexual health, and the importance of a gender-sensitive approach to medical care and research.

Dr. Cohen co-founded the Women’s Health Office at McMaster University in 1991, which became a vital center for advocacy, education, and research on women’s health issues. Her efforts have helped to elevate the status of women’s health in medical education and practice, as well as to support the careers of women in medicine.

Dr. Karyn Kaufman is known for her significant contributions to midwifery, both in Canada and internationally. She has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of midwifery as a recognized and respected profession within the healthcare system. Kaufman has been involved in midwifery education, research, and practice, working tirelessly to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.

At McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Dr. Kaufman was instrumental in establishing the Midwifery Education Program in 1993, acting as Director and Assistant Dean of the program until her retirement in 2006. This program has been crucial in educating midwives, contributing to the profession’s growth and the enhancement of maternal and child health care services in Canada and beyond.

Dr. Kaufman’s contributions to the field have been recognized through various awards and honors such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Ontario Midwives, reflecting her impact on midwifery education, practice, and policy. Her dedication to the profession and her efforts to improve healthcare for women and infants highlight her as a prominent figure in the field of midwifery.

Dr. Roberta Bondar is a Canadian astronaut, physician, scientist, educator,  and photographer. Her highest honors include being inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 1998, receiving a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2011, and appointment as a Companion to the Order of Canada in 2018.

Born on December 4, 1945, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, she became the first Canadian woman and the second Canadian to fly in space. Bondar flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on Mission STS-42, January 22–30, 1992, as a Payload Specialist. During this mission, she conducted experiments in the shuttle’s Spacelab module related to the effects of low gravity on the human body. Following her spaceflight and astronaut career, Bondar led an international research team at NASA examining data obtained from astronauts on space missions to gain a deeper insight into how the human body can recover after being exposed to the conditions of space.

Bondar’s background includes a rich academic career; she holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Agriculture from the University of Guelph, a Master of Science in Experimental Pathology from the University of Western Ontario, a Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience from the University of Toronto, and a Doctor of Medicine from McMaster University.