Lila Wallis was born in Grodno, Poland, in 1921 and initially began her studies at the University of Stefan Batory in Wilno, Poland.
16 Facts About Lila Wallis
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Lila Wallis was commonly known as "the godmother of women's health".
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Lila Wallis additionally founded the Cornell Office of Women in Medicine to support the participation of women in medicine and science.
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In honor of her achievements, Cornell University Medical College established The Lila Wallis Visiting Professorship in Women's Health in 1987.
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Beyond her involvement through Cornell, Lila Wallis was the founding president of the National Council on Women's Health that aims to empower women to make informed decisions about their health by equipping them with necessary knowledge about their bodies.
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Lila Wallis was a president of the American Medical Women's Association from 1988 to 1989 and became the first director of AMWA regional conferences during her service.
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Lila Wallis was a recipient of the Georgranna Seegar Jones Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Society for Advancement in Women's Health Research, the Warner-Lambert Company, and the National Health Council.
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Lila Wallis later went on to receive the Woman of the Century Award in Women's Health awarded by the Women's Medical Association of New York City.
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Two years later in 1996, Lila Wallis was promoted to Mastership status within the American College of Physicians, and thereafter received the Laureate Award from the ACP.
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Lila Wallis was the recipient of the Dr Virginia Kneeland Frantz Distinguished Woman in Medicine Award from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
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Lila Wallis wrote multiple books on women's health issues, endocrinology, and hematology; she was the author of over 70 publications.
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Lila Wallis was especially recognized for having published the Textbook of Women's Health in 1998 for medical professionals as well as The Whole Woman: Take Charge of Your Health in Every Phase of Your Life in 1999 with co-author Marian Betancourt for non-professionals.
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Lila Wallis was a member of editorial boards for the Journal of the American Medical Women's Association, Journal of Women's Health, Rodale Books on Women's Health, and the National Academy on Women's Health Medical Education.
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Lila Wallis's mother was a medical student, but was unable to finish medical school due to her marriage to Lila Wallis's father that discouraged nontraditional female roles.
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Lila Wallis's mother died in her early 50s of endometrial cancer after being placed on estrogen replacement therapy.
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Lila Wallis was married to Dr Benedict Lila Wallis and the couple had two sons, both of which became physicians.