Sally Abston (1934 – 2008) was an

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surgeon and scientist. She is noted as the first woman surgical resident at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston (UTMB), where she also worked as part of the faculty.

Biography

Abston was born in

Refugio, Texas Refugio ( ) is a town in Refugio County, of which it is the county seat, in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,890 as of the 2010 Census. Refugio is the birthplace of Baseball Hall of Fame member Nolan Ryan. Geography Refugio is l ...

, on May 29, 1934, to Charles Richard Abston and Susie Abston. She grew up in Fort Worth and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

. At an early age, she already wanted to be a physician. After finishing her secondary education at Austin High School in 1952, she obtained a degree at the

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...

in 1956. She then pursued her medical degree from the UTMB. After graduating in 1962, she immediately joined UTMB as the first woman surgical resident and, later on, member of the faculty. After her retirement in the field of medicine, she completed a substance abuse counselling programming at

Galveston College Galveston College (GC) is a public community college in Galveston, Texas. History On November 2, 1935, voters approved the creation of the Galveston Junior College District. However, a subsequent 1936 election to support the new district via ...

. In Abston's honor, the Association of Women Surgeons Foundation established an award called The Dr. Sally Abston AWS Distinguished Member Award, recognizing her commitment to quality patient care and the welfare of medical students.

Career

Abston taught at UTMB for 17 years and was also the director of its Blocker Burn Unit. She also worked for the Shriners Burns Hospital where she treated children. This hospital is noted for developing innovations covering burn care in children. Abston is credited for developing garment compression for burn treatment that improved the appearance of scars. She successfully demonstrated how to maintain body weight in children with serious burns through the consistent enteral feeding of milk. In a study with two other doctors involving children treated for burn injury, she identified burns as a silent epidemic in the United States. Abston was also cited as the pioneer in Ketamine anesthesia in the treatment of pediatric burn as well as the use of early excision and grafting in burn care. Abston died on August 27, 2008, in Galveston due to kidney failure and hypertension.

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abston, Sally 1934 births 2008 deaths American surgeons American women surgeons University of Texas Medical Branch alumni