A portrait of "Telly" hanging in the Pennsylvania Hospital gift shop.
Pennsylvania Hospital is proud to employ so many incredible women across departments, but did you know that PAH had a woman at the helm even at the very beginning? While the burgeoning American medical landscape was heavily dominated by male physicians trained in the European tradition,
Elizabeth Gardner, a Quaker widow, served as the first matron of the budding nation’s first hospital.
In 1751, the temporary hospital was located in a rented house on High (now Market) Street, and it was the matron’s job to ensure that all of the hospital processes ran smoothly, from making purchases to managing staff salaries. As PAH grew and moved to its current location, the board of managers brought in another administrator to assist is managing the hospital and providing general care to the patients. Nevertheless, the pious, adept, and much-esteemed Gardner retained her “chief executive” role up until she resigned in 1760. Though the power associated with the role of the matron disappeared when Gardner left the hospital, she was largely responsible for molding PAH into an fiscally responsible, rapidly expanding, patient-focused institution.
Another woman who left a lasting impact on PAH was Thelma (Telly) Gill, the namesake of our gift shop. Telly was married to Robert Joseph Gill, MD, who practiced internal medicine and served as the head of the department of Hypertension and Vascular Disease at PAH for 50 years. Mrs. Gill was a devoted member of the Auxiliary of Pennsylvania Hospital for more than 30 years, and she served as its chair from 1974 to 1978. She was known by the PAH community as someone fully focused on serving others, and the plaque hanging under her portrait in the gift shop notes that she “inspired all who came into contact with her.” She passed away in 1983, and within a year, the gift shop was dedicated in her memory. Be sure to stop by the newly revamped Telly’s Gift Shop to take a look at her gorgeous portrait.
Don’t forget to celebrate International Women’s Day on Thursday, March 8, by acknowledging and honoring the incredible achievements of the strong and compassionate women around you, both on your unit and in your community!