Kei Okami facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kei Okami
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Kei Okami (center) with Anandi Gopal Joshi (left) and Sabat Islambouli (right), picture from 10 October 1885
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| Born | 11 September 1859 |
| Died | 2 September 1941 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Other names | Nishida Keiko, Keiko Okami, Kei Nishida Okami, Kyōko Okami |
| Alma mater | Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania, 1889. |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for | The first Japanese woman to obtain a degree in Western medicine from a Western university |
Kei Okami (born September 11, 1859 – died September 2, 1941) was a pioneering Japanese doctor. She made history as the first Japanese woman to earn a degree in Western medicine from a university in the United States. She studied at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania.
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Early Life
Kei Okami was born as Nishida Keiko in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, in 1858. She finished her studies at the Yokohama Kyoritsu Girls' School in 1878. After that, she taught English at the Sakurai Girls' School. When she was 25, she married an art teacher named Okami Senkichiro. The couple later traveled to the United States.
Medical Training
In America, Kei Okami attended the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. She received help from the Women's Foreign Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church. After four years of hard work, she graduated in 1889. She graduated alongside Susan La Flesche Picotte, who was also a trailblazing doctor. This achievement made Kei Okami the first Japanese woman to get a degree in Western medicine from a university outside Japan.
Medical Career
After returning to Japan, Kei Okami began working at the Jikei Hospital. This was at the invitation of Takaki Kanehiro, a well-known doctor. However, she later resigned from the hospital. This was because the Emperor, Meiji, reportedly refused her medical care because she was a woman.
After leaving the hospital, Kei Okami opened her own clinic. It was located in her home in Akasaka Tameike, Minato. She focused on women's health (gynecology) and also treated patients with tuberculosis.
Later, she closed her private practice. She then became the vice-principal of Shoei Girls' School. This school was founded by her brother-in-law, Kiyomune. In 1897, she opened a small hospital specifically for sick women. She did this in partnership with a friend, Mrs. True. At the same location, she also started a school for nurses. The hospital closed after nine years because it had very few patients. Most of the patients were foreign female missionaries. Kei Okami later retired from her work due to breast cancer.
Kei Okami was a devoted Christian. She took part in missionary work in Japan. She also taught anatomy to nurses at one of Japan's largest hospitals.
See Also
- In Spanish: Kei Okami para niños
