Nina Bencich Woodside (June 1, 1931 – July 11, 1997) was an American psychiatrist, college professor, and public health official. She received the

Federal Woman's Award The Federal Woman's Award, also known as the Federal Women's Award, was given by the United States Civil Service Commission from 1961 until 1976. The Federal Woman's Award was established by Barbara Bates Gunderson in 1960, while she was serving on ...

in 1968, and was founding director of the Center for Women in Medicine at

Drexel University College of Medicine Drexel University College of Medicine is the medical school of Drexel University, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The medical school represents the consolidation of two medical schools: the first U.S. medical school ...

in the 1970s.

Early life and education

Nina Libertas Bencich was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, the daughter of Peter Bencich and Sara Peltz Bencich. Her father was born in Austria, and her mother was born in Russia. Bencich earned a bachelor's degree in zoology from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in 1953. She earned her medical credentials at the

Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) was founded in 1850, and was the second medical institution in the world established to train women in medicine to earn the M.D. degree. The New England Female Medical College had been established ...

, with further studies in public health at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

Career

Woodside began her career in public health in Virginia, serving as a health officer in

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

and

Arlington County Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

. At the District of Columbia Department of Public Health, she was head of the Bureau of Chronic Disease Control, and associate director for planning and research. During her tenure at the Bureau of Chronic Disease Control, Woodside improved tuberculosis prevention and treatment in the city, promoted anti-smoking campaigns, and created programs to serve elderly residents of the city's public housing. In 1968, Woodside received the Federal Woman's Award, presented by

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

"for her superior leadership, initiative, and professional and administrative competence in developing a new range of public health services in adult health and geriatrics". In 1969, she received an annual award from the national board of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. In 1970 was acting director of the District of Columbia Health Services Administration. Woodside was an assistant professor at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

and taught public health courses in its school of nursing. She was also an associate professor of healthcare administration at George Washington University. In the 1970s, she was founding director of the Center for Women in Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine, where she also taught courses. She wrote a textbook, ''Introduction to Health Planning'' (1979). Woodside had a private psychiatric practice in her later years, and was a consultant on international public health.

Personal life

Nina Bencich married dentist and pilot Byron Crosby Woodside in 1955. They had six children. Both Woodsides died in a plane crash in

Salida, Colorado The City of Salida ( ; spanish language, Spanish: , "exit") is the Colorado municipalities#Statutory city, Statutory city that is the county seat and the List of cities and towns in Colorado, most populous municipality of Chaffee County, Colorado ...

, on July 11, 1997, along with her cousin and her cousin's husband; she was 66 years old.

References

External links

* Nina Bencich Woodside
"The Role of Women in Health Care Decision Making"
paper prepared for the International Conference on Women in Health, Washington, D.C., June 16–18, 1975. {{DEFAULTSORT:Woodside, Nina Bencich 1931 births 1997 deaths Physicians from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American women physicians American public health doctors Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health alumni Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania alumni Drexel University alumni Drexel University faculty George Washington University alumni George Washington University faculty Georgetown University Medical Center faculty 20th-century American physicians 20th-century American academics Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1997 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Accidental deaths in Colorado American women public health doctors