U.S. National Institutes of Health

Nina Starr Braunwald, MD — surgery (thoracic)

Courtesy Eugene Braunwald, MD

Dr. Nina Starr Braunwald (1928–1992) was one of the first women to train as a general surgeon at New York’s Bellevue Hospital, from 1952 to 1955. A pioneer in the field of heart surgery, she led the team that was the first to replace a human heart valve (a valve which she has also designed). She was the first woman to be certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, and the first woman to be elected to the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

Read more about Dr. Nina Starr Braunwald.

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