Ruth Taubenhaus "Toby" Gross (June 24, 1920 – October 16, 2007) was an American pediatrician. She was the first woman to receive an endowed professorship at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

when she was named the Katharine Dexter and Stanley McCormick Memorial Professor of Pediatrics.

Biography

Gross was born in

Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of College ...

, on June 24, 1920. Her father,

Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus (1884–1937) born in Safed, Palestine on October 20, 1884, was Chief of the Division of Plant Pathology and Physiology of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Te ...

, was a botanist and the first Jewish professor at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. Her mother Esther Taubenhaus was the daughter of rabbi

Chaim Hirschensohn Rabbi Chaim Hirschensohn ( he, חיים הירשנזון, 1857 – 1935) was a prolific author, rabbi, thinker, and early proponent of Religious Zionism. Biography Chaim Hirschensohn was born on August 31, 1857 in Safed, in the Galilee to R ...

. Her aunts included

Tehilla Lichtenstein Tehilla Lichtenstein (1893 – 1973) was a cofounder and leader of Jewish Science, as well as an author. She was born in Jerusalem and immigrated to America when she was eleven years old. Her parents were Hava (Cohen) and Rabbi Chaim Hirschensohn. ...

, a cofounder of the

Jewish Science Jewish Science is a Judaic spiritual movement comparable with the New Thought Movement. Many of its members also attend services at conventional synagogues. It is an interpretation of Jewish philosophy that was originally conceived by Rabbi ...

movement with her husband

Morris Lichtenstein Morris Lichtenstein (1889–1938) was the founder of the Jewish Science, Society of Jewish Science. Born in Lithuania, he later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where he was ordained by the Reform Hebrew Union College in 1916, becoming the first Eastern E ...

, and Tamar de Sola Pool, who was president of the

Hadassah Women's Zionist Organization of America Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America is an American Jews, American Jewish volunteer List of women's organizations, women's organization. Founded in 1912 by Henrietta Szold, it is one of the largest international Jewish organiz ...

and was married to Jewish scholar

David de Sola Pool David de Sola Pool ( he, דוד די סולה פול;‎ 1885–1970) was the leading 20th-century Sephardic rabbi in the United States. A scholar, author, and civic leader, he was a world leader of Judaism. Biography Early life and educati ...

. Her cousins included the political scientist

Ithiel de Sola Pool Ithiel de Sola Pool (October 26, 1917 – March 11, 1984) was an American academic who was a widely celebrated and often controversial figure in the field of social sciences and information technology. He did significant research on technology an ...

. She earned her bachelor's degree from

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

and M.D. from the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons as one of the only two women in her class in 1944. After completing her residency at

Charity Hospital Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Gross served as an instructor at the

Radcliffe Infirmary The Radcliffe Infirmary was a hospital in central north Oxford, England, located at the southern end of Woodstock Road on the western side, backing onto Walton Street. History The initial proposals to build a hospital in Oxford were put forw ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and joined the faculty of

Stanford Medical School Stanford University School of Medicine is the medical school of Stanford University and is located in Stanford, California. It traces its roots to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Francisco in 1858. This ...

. She spent a year at the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia ( it, Università degli Studi di Pavia, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; la, Alma Ticinensis Universitas) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one ...

before associate professor of pediatrics and co-director of the human genetics division at the

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...

in New York. In 1966, Gross returned to San Francisco to become of chief of pediatrics at the Mount Zion Hospital and focused on community and social medicine. She rejoined the Stanford faculty in 1973 as professor of pediatrics and in 1976 was named Katharine Dexter and Stanley McCormick Memorial Professor of Pediatrics. She was elected a member of the

Institute Of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, E ...

, later known as the

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, En ...

, in 1979. Gross died on October 16, 2007, in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gross, Ruth T. 1920 births 2007 deaths People from Bryan, Texas Stanford University faculty Barnard College alumni Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni 20th-century American women physicians 20th-century American physicians American pediatricians Albert Einstein College of Medicine faculty Members of the National Academy of Medicine