Camille Mermod, MD (d. 1976) was born in Switzerland and came to the U.S. with her family at the age of 13. She spent her undergraduate years at Mills College in California before attending Stanford University for her medical degree and graduating in 1932. She taught clinical pathology at Stanford the next six years. In 1935, she also became assistant pathologist of Alameda County hospitals, then moved east after four years to work as the pathologist of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
During World War II, Dr. Mermod was an assistant pathologist for six New Jersey Hospitals: St. Barnabas Hospital, St. James Hospital, Irvington General Hospital, Overlook Hospital, and Middlesex Hospital. After the war, she had a private practice in internal medicine, running her own laboratory with diagnostic testing in chemistry, bacteriology, and pathology. She was also a consulting pathologist at Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., an attending physician at St. Barnabas Hospital, where she served as chief of the Department of Medicine from 1955 to 1957, and chairman of the Essex County Medical Society’s Public Health Committee.
Her extensive involvement with AMWA included serving as the national president for two terms (1954-1955 and 1956-1957), only the second president to do so. During her involvement with AMWA, she held multiple roles — second vice-president, chairman of the Membership and International committees, Branch Four treasurer for multiple terms, and editor of the Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association (JAMWA). She was recognized in 1959 as Medical Woman of the Year by AMWA Branch Four (New Jersey) and awarded the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal by AMWA in 1965 for her outstanding leadership and dedication in advancing women in medicine.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Mermod enjoyed weaving, gardening, and cooking.
Sources:
“Medical Women of the Year.” JAMWA 14:12 (Dec 1959), 1098-1108.
Geib, E. “Camille Mermod, M.D.” JAMWA Vol. 9, no. 9 (Sept. 1954), 298.
JAMWA Jan 1966, Vol. 21, no. 1
Obituary, New York Times, 1976
Return to AMWA Blackwell Exhibit
