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Dr. Helen Taussig persisted through years of higher education and medical school despite dyslexia and is now known as the founder of pediatric cardiology.
Dr. Taussig was born into a well educated family who encouraged her to also achieve great academic success. Upon entering school though, Taussig was recognized as an excellent athlete, but not an excellent student. She was partially deaf and was eventually also diagnosed with dyslexia. Her father tutored her throughout her early education, and in spite of earlier academic setbacks, Dr. Taussig decided to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and pursue a career in medicine.
She graduated from University of California Berkeley, and afterwards took classes at both Harvard and Boston University, but neither schools offered degrees to women at that time. Not deterred, Taussig transferred to John Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she was able to receive her MD. After completing medical school, Dr. Taussig worked in cardiology and developed a procedure to promote oxygen flow into the heart for babies with Anoxemia (or “blue baby syndrome”). Her operation saved lives worldwide and earned her full professorship at John Hopkins Medical School, and the Medal of Freedom from President LBJ. Dr. Taussig also became the first woman elected president of the American Heart Association.
Dr. Helen Taussig’s legacy can be attributed to her unique problem solving that she developed due to her dyslexia and deafness.
Read more about Dr. Taussig’s medical legacy here.