The Woman Behind the Award: Alma Dea Morani’s Career and Impact
“It never occurred to them that any women wanted to be surgeons.”
Leading up to the 2023 Alma Dea Morani Renaissance Woman in Medicine Award ceremony, the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation takes a look back at the award’s namesake: Alma Dea Morani, MD, FACS. You can learn more about Dr. Morani’s trailblazing career on the HUB.
The daughter of Italian immigrants, Dr. Morani was born in New York in 1907. She had a deep love for art which she learned from her sculptor father, Salvatore Morani, who studied sculpture for eight years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples and for six years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. Eventually, it would be this love of art that would draw her to plastic surgery.
After receiving her undergraduate degree from New York University in 1928, Dr. Morani went on to receive her medical degree from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1931 and completed her fellowship in plastic surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis in 1946.
She eventually returned to the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania to begin her professional career, rising from an Assistant Surgeon, to the Founder of the Hand Surgery Clinic, to a Lecturer in General Surgery, to an Assistant Professor Surgery, a Lecturer in Plastic Surgery, and, finally, a Clinical Professor of General Surgery and Plastic Surgery.
Awards & Accolades
In addition to being the first female member of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, Dr. Morani has also served as the Co-Founder of the Robert H. Ivy Society, the President of the American Women's Hospital Service, and the Director of the Medical Women's International Association.
Her Lasting Impact
Dr. Morani believed art paralleled science and sought to combine the training of plastic surgeons with the study of art. The abstract of one of her papers, Art in medical education: Especially plastic surgery, speaks to this passion:
Very few medical schools offer courses on art or include it in the humanities. Because the study of art is a great experience that helps to develop the trained eye, the inclusion of art in medical education is recommended. For plastic and aesthetic surgeons, art knowledge can greatly add to the development of surgical skill. Courses in drawing, modeling, and casting are recommended along with lectures or seminars on art appreciation.
Join us on October 26
Join us as we present this year’s Alma Dea Morani Renaissance Woman in Medicine Award on Thursday, October 26. We will be honoring Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA, world-renowned for her pioneering research on women and heart disease, cardiac rehabilitation, and geriatric cardiac care.
The award — much like its namesake — is given to a woman who has left a significant mark on history and pivotally advanced the future. And with her career in cardiology that’s spanned seven decades, a list of professional publications of over 1,700, and a curriculum vitae of 172 pages and counting, Dr. Wenger embodies the spirit and impact of the women who came before her.
The 2023 Alma Dea Morani Renaissance Woman in Medicine Award ceremony will be presented to Nanette K. Wenger, MD, MACC, MACP, FAHA on Thursday, October 26, 2023. Register here.