Pink Collar Workers: Virginia Apgar

Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was a pioneering obstetric anesthesiologist who designed a test that still saves newborns every day. She was also the first woman to become a full professor at Columbia University.

This month, we’re bringing back some of our favorite Womanica episodes you might have missed! We’ll be talking about Pink Collar Workers: women who revolutionized jobs that have traditionally been called "women's work." Through their lives, they created a more just and humane world for us today.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Womanica. This August, we're bringing back some of our
favorite Womanica episodes you might have missed. All month, we'll
be talking about pink collar workers. These women revolutionized jobs
that have traditionally been called women's work. Through their lives,
they created a more just and humane world for us today.

(00:21):
With that, here's one of our favorite episodes. Hello and
happy New Year from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan
and this is Womanica. This month, we're highlighting women who
worked in health and wellness. Today we're talking about the

(00:41):
first woman to become a full professor at Columbia University,
pioneering obstetric anis physiologist. She designed a test that still
saves newborns every day. Please welcome Virginia Apgar. Virginia Apgar

(01:01):
was born on June seventh, nineteen o nine, in Westfield,
New Jersey. It's hard to know if Virginia's curiosity for
medicine first began, but it may have come from the
tragedies that plagued her own family. Virginia's oldest brother died
of tuberculosis before she was born, and her second brother
struggled with a chronic illness. By the time she graduated

(01:25):
from high school, Virginia was set on entering medicine. She
attended Mount Holyoke College on several scholarships and graduated in
nineteen twenty nine. That same year, Virginia enrolled in Columbia
University's medical school. She was one of just ten women
and graduated fourth in her class. Throughout her studies, Virginia

(01:47):
was drawn to surgery. She stayed at Columbia in a
surgical internship and continued to shine, But despite her skills,
Virginia found little support from her instructors. Ellan Whipple, who
was the chair of surgery at the time, tried to
persuade Virginia against surgery. He told her that the other

(02:07):
women he'd trained in surgery had struggled to find success. Instead,
he encouraged her to specialize in anesthesia. Anesthesiologists helped ensure
the safety of patients during surgery. Doctor Whipple felt more
innovation was needed in anesthesia to move surgery along. He
said that Virginia had the energy, intelligence, and ability needed

(02:30):
to make significant contributions in this area. Virginia was convinced
and sought out more training, but at the time anesthesiology
wasn't considered a specialty. Virginia struggled to find a program
that was tuned into her needs. She worked for half
a year at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and another

(02:51):
six months at Bellevue Hospital in New York. Virginia returned
to Columbia in nineteen thirty eight with a new title,
the Director of the Division of Annisdeathesia, but because the
field was still so new and she had little funding,
she struggled to build out her department. Virginia was the
only staff member until nineteen forty six, which was right

(03:11):
around the time when anesthesia started to become a more
recognized specialty. In nineteen forty nine, anesthesia research became its
own academic department at Columbia. Virginia was appointed a full professor,
becoming the first woman to reach such an appointment in
the history of Columbia University's medical school. Virginia started to

(03:33):
specialize further and focused on obstetrical anesthesia. She studied the
effects of anesthesia on a newborn baby after being administered
to the mother during labor. In nineteen fifty three, she
published what we now call the Apgar Score the first
standardized method that evaluates the newborn's transition to life outside

(03:53):
the womb. The Apgar Score is a test that's given
to newborns twice, once one minute after birth and again
five minutes after birth. Babies are given points based on
heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflexes, and color. While
the test is relatively simple, its impact is profound. It

(04:16):
helps doctors and midwives estimate how babies are doing in
their first minutes of life and can illuminate ways in
which they may need additional care. Today, the test is
still widely used around the globe. In nineteen fifty nine,
Virginia took a sabbatical. Though her time off wasn't necessarily RESTful,
she attended Johns Hopkins University and received a master's in

(04:39):
public health. She decided not to return to academic medicine
and instead started working for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis,
which is known today as the March of Dimes Foundation.
Virginia devoted the final fifteen years of her life and
career to the foundation. She held many roles, primarily forocusing

(05:00):
on birth defects and through education, advocacy, and funding for research.
She co authored a book in nineteen seventy two called
is My Baby All Right? Which helped a broader audience
understand birth defects. Virginia died on August seventh, nineteen seventy four,
at the age of sixty five. In her honor, medical

(05:22):
institutions and universities have established numerous awards, training programs, and scholarships.
Her legacy is one of innovation, of curiosity, and of
the power of observation. Thanks for listening to this best

(05:43):
of episode of Walmanica. For more information, find us on
Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast Special thanks to Liz Kaplan,
my favorite sister and co creator. As always, will be
taking a break for the weekend. Join us on Monday
for another one of our favorite episodes, honoring pink collar workers.
Talk to you then,