Sara Josephine Baker | |
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Born | Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. | November 15, 1873
Died | February 22, 1945 Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. | (aged 71)
Alma mater | New York Infirmary Medical College |
Known for | public health, preventive medicine |
Awards | Assistant Surgeon General, first woman appointed as Professional Representative to the League of Nations |
Sara Josephine Baker (November 15, 1873 – February 22, 1945) was an American physician notable for making contributions to public health, especially in the immigrant communities of New York City. Her fight against the damage that widespread urban poverty and ignorance caused to children, especially newborns, is perhaps her most lasting legacy.[1] In 1917, she noted that babies born in the United States faced a higher mortality rate than soldiers fighting in World War I, drawing a great deal of attention to her cause.[2] She also is known for (twice) tracking down Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary.