The Stowe House
Emily Howard Jennings Stowe, M.D., Class of 1867 (1831-1903)
Advisory Dean: Ray T. Whitt, M.D.
House Color - Purple
Emily Howard Jennings Stowe, a Canadian, was denied admission to the exclusively male, Toronto School of Medicine. Accepted into the New York Medical College for Women, Stowe graduated with an M.D. in 1867. She was the first female physician to receive a medical education in New York City.
New York Medical College has played an important role in promoting the presence of women in medicine. At this time, The American Medical Association did not allow female doctors to become members. In addition, most hospitals did not permit women to obtain internships, and thus the only hospital available to women for training was the Women's hospital associated with New York Medical College.
When Stowe returned to her native country, she became the first female physician in Canada.
Recognizing the necessity of medical education for women, Stowe challenged the right of Canadian medical schools to exclude female students and cofounded the Women's Medical College in Toronto in 1883. As a suffragist and founder of both the Toronto Women's Suffrage Association in 1877 , she also significantly contributed to the advancement of women's voting rights.