In the early 1900s, as the field of medicine evolved in Texas, two women pursued paths that would challenge expectations and reshape what was possible at the University of Texas Medical Branch and beyond.
Marie Charlotte Schaefer stepped into lecture halls and laboratories at a time when women were rarely seen in academic medicine. Mary Susan Smith Moore worked to build a place of healing in Galveston when Black patients and Black physicians were too often denied care and opportunity. Their journeys were different, but their impact was lasting.
This story is part of Pioneers in Medicine, an ongoing series honoring the individuals who shaped UTMB’s path through courage, innovation, and unwavering determination.
A Barrier Broken in Academia
Marie Charlotte Schaefer was born on June 24, 1874, in San Antonio, the third of five daughters of John Henry and Wilhelma Schaefer. After graduating as salutatorian from San Antonio High School, she spent a year teaching before entering the University of Texas Medical Department (UTMB) in 1895. She earned her M.D. in 1900, stepping into a profession where women were still a rarity.
That same year, she began her medical career as a resident in pathology at John Sealy Hospital. By 1901, she had become UTMB’s first female faculty member. Over the next two decades, she served as demonstrator, lecturer, and eventually associate professor of biology and histology, building a reputation for precision, discipline, and high expectations.
Her research also made an early mark. In 1901, she published findings identifying American hookworm in a Galveston patient, contributing to a growing understanding of infectious disease in the region.
In 1925, Schaefer became the first female professor at UTMB. Beyond her academic work, she used her voice to recognize the women who had made her own career possible, encouraging students to pursue lives of dedication and purpose.
When she died suddenly on May 27, 1927, the loss was deeply felt across campus. The final ball scheduled before commencement was canceled in her honor, a reflection of how much she meant to the institution she helped shape.
Building Care Where None Existed
While Schaefer was establishing herself within UTMB, Mary Susan Smith Moore was forging a path of her own in Galveston.
Born around 1865 in Haywood, North Carolina, Moore trained at the Meharry Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, earning her medical degree in 1898. Later that year, she and her husband relocated to Galveston, where she set out to create something the state did not yet have: a facility dedicated to the care of Black patients; the Hubbard Sanitarium.
From the beginning, Moore’s vision faced resistance. City ordinances made it unlawful to establish a hospital in most areas of Galveston, and her applications for permits were repeatedly denied. Still, she persisted, funding construction herself, advocating before city officials, and continuing to care for patients despite legal and financial obstacles.
By the early 1900s, the sanitarium stood as a four-story building, designed to serve both paying patients and those who could not afford care. Moore’s goal was clear: to provide treatment with dignity, regardless of circumstance.
Her work did not stop at patient care. She was active in professional organizations, participated in medical discussions, and delivered public lectures on topics like tuberculosis, helping to educate the broader community.
Even as she faced legal challenges, including fines and prosecution for operating without a permit, Moore continued her work. For years, she advertised the services of the Hubbard Sanitarium, inviting patients to seek care in a place she had built against the odds.
When she died in Galveston on November 18, 1925, after a year-long illness, her passing marked the end of an institution she had sustained through determination and resilience. Decades later, her legacy would be recognized through the naming of the Mary Susan Moore Medical Society, honoring her role in advancing opportunities for Black women physicians.
Legacy That Endures
Schaefer and Moore worked in different spaces, one within the academic halls of UTMB, the other in the Galveston community she served, but both expanded what was possible for women in medicine.
Schaefer broke barriers in education and faculty leadership, setting a precedent for women in academic medicine at UTMB. Moore created access to care where none existed, advocating for patients and physicians who were excluded from the system. Their stories are not just moments in history; they are foundations.
At UTMB today, students walk the same campus where Schaefer once taught and where Moore once lectured and advocated for public health. Their presence reflects the persistence of those who came before, women who refused to accept the limits placed on them and instead built something lasting.
During Women’s History Month and every month, we honor pioneers like Marie Charlotte Schaefer and Mary Susan Smith Moore not only for what they achieved, but for what they made possible. Their stories remind us that progress in medicine is driven not only by discovery, but by courage; the courage to step forward, to challenge systems, and to create change where it is needed most.
Image: Marie Charlotte Schaefer – Source: Truman G. Blocker, Jr. History of Medicine Collections and University Archives, Moody Medical Library, UTMB