Ana Galvis Hotz (22 June 1855 — 2 November 1934) was the first Colombian woman to have obtained a medical degree as a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

. Ana was born on 22 June 1855 in Bogotá to Dr. Nicanor Galvis from Colombia, and his wife Sophie Hotz from Switzerland. In April 1872 she enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It ...

, becoming the first regular full-time student of the University, where she obtained her degree as a Doctor of Medicine on 26 June 1877 with her dissertation titled ''Über Amnionepithel'' (''On the Amniotic Epithelial''); she thus became not only the first Colombian female

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

, but also the first from Latin America or Spain, at a time when women could not even attend university in Colombia. On her return to Colombia she opened her own medical practice advertising her services as a "''specialist on the diseases of the uterus and its surroundings''"; therefore she is now also recognized as the first Colombian

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with ...

References

1855 births 1934 deaths People from Bogotá Colombian people of Swiss descent 19th-century Colombian women University of Bern alumni Colombian gynaecologists 19th-century women physicians {{Women's-History-stub