Elizabeth Blackwell Award
Judith Graham Pool
Dr. Judith Graham Pool, professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, was recognized internationally for developing a simple method of extracting from normal blood the protein needed by hemophiliac patients. Availability of the missing clotting factor has enabled hemophiliacs to treat themselves at home with injections, reducing both the length of hospitalization and the cost of treatment.
The recipient of both bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago, she taught at Hobart and William Smith Colleges before joining the faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine in 1957.
In recognition of her work, she was awarded the Murray Thelin Award of the National Hemophilia Foundation in 1968. At the time of her death in 1975, Pool had been investigating another concentrate that would help those hemophiliacs who develop complications from the standard treatment.
Pool devoted herself to promoting opportunities for women in medicine as wholeheartedly as she did to her research. She was the first co-president of the Association of Women in Medicine and the founder and first chair of the Professional Women of Stanford Medical School. Today, the National Hemophilia Foundation offers several fellowships in her name.