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Women Inspiring Hope and Possibility > Virginia Apgar
Virginia Apgar
(1909-1974)
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Overview
Education and Training
Career Path
Selected Achievements
Birth Defects Prevention Today
CDC's Role
Tips to Help Prevent Birth Defects
Related Links
Overview
Virginia
Apgar was born in Westfield, New Jersey in 1909. She made significant
contributions through her research in anesthesiology and maternal and child
health. She died in 1974.
Education and Training
- Bachelor's
degree in zoology from Mt. Holyoke College
- Medical
degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
- She was
one of only four women to enter this institution in 1929 and graduated
fourth in her class.
- Internship
and residency in surgery at Columbia University Presbyterian Medical
Center
- After
completing two years of excellent work, the chair of the surgery
department informed her that he doubted a woman could have a successful
surgical practice and encouraged her to pursue a career in
anesthesiology.
- Training
in anesthesia at the University of Wisconsin and Bellevue Hospital in New
York
- Masters
degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University
Career Path
- Director
of the new division of anesthesiology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical
Center
- She was
the medical school’s first female division head.
- Full
professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
- She was
the first woman appointed to this position and decided to focus on
obstetrical anesthesia.
- Director
of the division of congenital defects at the March of Dimes
Selected Achievements
- Built a
solid residency program as director of Columbia’s anesthesiology division
while fulfilling responsibilities for clinical care
- Created
the Apgar Score, the first world-wide standardized scoring system for
assessing the health of newborns in the crucial minutes after birth. The
system involves assigning a score for 5 criteria: respiratory effort,
reflex irritability, muscle tone, heart rate, and color.
- Served as
an advocate, fund-raiser, and educator for the prevention of birth
defects, receiving many honors and awards for her work
Birth Defects Prevention Today
Each year in
the U.S., one in 33 babies is born with a birth defect, amounting to 150,000
births. Another 3,000 babies are born with severe disorders that may not be
obvious, but that can be detected — and treated — as early as possible,
thanks to screening of dried blood spots collected at birth. In
approximately 25 percent of the cases, the causes of birth defects and
developmental disabilities are known. For example, insufficient folic acid
(a B vitamin) in pregnant women can lead to spina bifida (spine defects) and
anencephaly (brain defects) in their infants; alcohol consumed during
pregnancy can lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Because many women do
not know they are pregnant until several weeks after conception, education
about prevention measures (such as taking folic acid to prevent these
defects, or avoiding alcohol) needs to reach women before they become
pregnant.
CDC's Role
CDC continues
to build on the work done by Virginia Apgar. CDC provides national
leadership for preventing birth defects and developmental disabilities and
for improving the health and wellness of people with disabilities.
Activities include:
-
Identifying the causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities
- Helping
children to develop and reach their full potential
- Promoting
health and well-being among people of all ages with disabilities
In 1992, CDC
published the U.S. Public Health Service recommendation that all women of
childbearing age consume 400 micrograms of the B vitamin folic acid daily to
prevent spina bifida and anencephaly, two serious birth defects. For the 75
percent of cases for which causes of birth defects are still unknown, CDC
supports national, regional, and local research efforts designed to discover
the maternal, nutritional, genetic, and other risk factors that contribute
to these conditions. CDC has provided scientific leadership to laboratories,
intervention programs, and media and education campaigns.
Tips to Help Prevent Birth Defects
- Avoid
smoking and second-hand smoke. Cigarette smoking can result in low
birth weight and cause long-term learning disabilities. It is also
associated with infertility, miscarriages, tubal pregnancies, infant
mortality, and childhood morbidity.
- Take
400 micrograms of folic acid daily before and during pregnancy. Folic
acid has been shown to reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and
spine.
- Avoid
drinking alcohol. Fetal alcohol syndrome, a disorder characterized by
growth retardation, facial abnormalities, and central nervous system
dysfunction, is caused by a woman's use of alcohol during pregnancy. There
is no safe amount of alcohol a woman can drink while pregnant.
- See
your health care provider. Be sure to get prenatal care. See your
health care provider before you are pregnant to discuss any concerns you
may have about your health or the health of the baby. Discuss family
history of pregnancy complications or birth defects, medical history,
medications, immunizations, and other issues to ensure that you are on the
right track for a healthy pregnancy.
Related Links
ABCs… Pregnancy Tips (A-Z)*
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/bd/abc.htm
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
Birth Defects and
Developmental Disabilities: Programs in Brief*
http://www.cdc.gov/programs/bd.htm
Birth Defects
Topics
http://www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec8000dffe
CDC's National Center on Birth Defects
and Developmental Disabilities
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/
CDC’s National Center for Environmental
Health
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh
Dr. Virginia Apgar*
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/
biography_12.html (Non-CDC site)
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/
Folic Acid
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/index.htm
Infant Health
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/Infant.htm
Safe Motherhood
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/mh.htm
STDs in Women and
Infants
http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats00/2000SFWomen&Inf.htm
Virginia Apgar*
http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/
virginia_apgar.html (Non-CDC site)
Virginia Apgar: Newborn
Scoring System
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/apgar.html
(Non-CDC site)
*Used as a
source for this Web page.
This site contains documents in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader
to access the file. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader, you may download a
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This page
last reviewed April 15, 2005
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/women/owh/history/apgar.htm
US
Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Women's Health
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