Naomi Norsworthy (September 29, 1877 – December 27, 1916) was an American

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

who served as the first female faculty member at Columbia University Teacher's College. Her parents had emigrated from England two years before her birth. Norsworthy was the eldest of four children with two younger brothers and a third who died soon after birth. She was educated in public school in Rutherford, New Jersey then enrolled in New Jersey State Normal School at the age of 15, and was among the youngest students there; she graduated from the school in three years. After spending four years teaching public school in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, Norsworthy enrolled in Columbia University's Teachers College, and served as student assistant in the Psychology department She obtained her Bachelor's of Science Degree in 1901 and her

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in 1904. Her doctoral thesis, ''The psychology of mentally deficient children'', studied 150 children in state institutions throughout New York; she brought her findings to the American Psychological Association, which marked the first time a woman had presented a thesis in the Association's New York center. After graduating, she served in the faculty of the Teacher's College, remaining there for the rest of her life despite actively receiving offers from other universities. Norsworthy served as instructor from 1904 to 1909, then her title changed to Adjunct Professor. Alongside working, she also took care of her mother who was suffering from terminal cancer until her death in 1914. Shortly before her mother's death, Norsworthy was diagnosed with

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

. She continued to teach until 1916, when she was forced to take a leave of absence; she died in December of that year. Her primary work, ''The psychology of childhood'', was completed by her colleagues after her death and released in 1918.

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