THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT

Dr. Helen O. Dickens

February 21, 1909 – December 2, 2001 

“I got it into my head that if I were going to be a nurse, I might as well be a doctor. I didn’t see why I couldn’t do it.”

Surgeon and professor in obstetrics and gynecology. Dedicated her career to women’s health and well-being, with a particular focus on the lives of young women, low-income women and women of color. First Black woman to graduate from University of Illinois Medical School; become a board certified in OBGYN in Philadelphia; be named a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and AOCG; and become a professor in the ObGyn Department at Penn. Founded the Teen Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania for young mothers in the inner city, providing preventative and holistic care.