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This is a list of the first qualified female physician to practice in each country, where that is known. Many, if not all, countries have had female physicians since time immemorial; however, modern systems of qualification have often commenced as male only, whether de facto or de jure. This lists the first women physicians in modern countries. The dates given in parentheses below are the dates the women graduated from medical school.
| Country | Physician | Year graduated medical school | Year began practice |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | Constance Stone [177] | 1890 | |
 Fiji | Kanta Madovji [178] | 1968 | |
 Kiribati | Terenganuea Taaram [179] (then known as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony) | before 1974 | |
 Micronesia | Ulai Otobed [180] | 1965 | |
 New Zealand | Emily Siedeberg [181] | 1896 | 1905 |
 Papua New Guinea | Joan Refshauge [182] [183] | 1947 | |
 Samoa | Viopapa Annandale-Atherton [184] [185] | 1964 | |
 Solomon Islands | Junilyn Pikacha [186] | 1978 | 1981 |
 Tonga | 'Akanesi Makakaufaki [187] | 1976 | |
 Tuvalu | Nese Ituaso-Conway [188] | 1999 | |
| Miliama Simeona [188] | 1999 |
Rebecca Lee Crumpler was an American physician, nurse and author. After studying at the New England Female Medical College, in 1864 she became the first African-American woman to become a doctor of medicine in the United States. Crumpler was also one of the first female physician authors in the nineteenth century. In 1883, she published A Book of Medical Discourses. The book has two parts that cover the prevention and cure of infantile bowel complaints, and the life and growth of human beings. Dedicated to nurses and mothers, it focuses on maternal and pediatric medical care and was among the first publications written by an African American on the subject of medicine.
Elizabeth Blackwell was an Anglo-American physician, notable as the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council for the United Kingdom. Blackwell played an important role in both the United States and the United Kingdom as a social reformer, and was a pioneer in promoting education for women in medicine. Her contributions remain celebrated with the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal, awarded annually to a woman who has made a significant contribution to the promotion of women in medicine.
Matilde Petra Montoya Lafragua was the first female physician in Mexico. Initially working as a midwife, she became one of the first women to attend and graduate Medical School, eventually earning her doctorate in 1887. Later she was a surgeon and obstetrician. Montoya played an important role in the social establishment of women's rights and the movements toward unbiased opportunities for education and occupations for women.
The presence of women in medicine, particularly in the practicing fields of surgery and as physicians, has been traced to the earliest of history. Women have historically had lower participation levels in medical fields compared to men with occupancy rates varying by race, socioeconomic status, and geography.
Denis Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist and Pentecostal pastor. He founded and works in Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, where he specializes in the treatment of women who have been raped by armed rebels. In 2018, Mukwege and Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict".
Martin Winckler is a French M.D. and short story, novel and essay writer. His main topics are the French medical system, the relationships between caregivers and patients and Women's Health. One of the first TV series critics in France, he has written numerous articles and books on the subject.
Madeleine Alexandrine Brès, born Gebelin, was a French pediatrician and the first French woman to earn a medical degree in 1875, with a thesis on breastfeeding.
Luc Perino, is a French physician, essayist, and a novelist. He is known for his promotion of general and clinical medicine and of Darwinian medicine.
María Amelia Chopitea Villa was Bolivia's first female physician and writer. She was born in a time when the Bolivian society was very patriarchal.
Tewhida Ben Sheikh was the first modern Tunisian and North African woman to become a physician. She was also a pioneer in women's medicine, in particular contraception and abortion access.
Laura Esther Rodríguez Dulanto was the first female physician in Peru.
Blanche Edwards-Pilliet (1858–1941) was a French physician, medical teacher, and leading social reformer for women. She, along with Augusta Déjerine-Klumpke, was one of the first women to intern at a hospital in Paris.
In Benin, abortion is legal on broad socioeconomic grounds up to twelve weeks of pregnancy.
Andrea Evangelina Rodríguez Perozo (1879–1947) was the first female medical school graduate in the Dominican Republic.
Yvonne Sylvain was a Haitian physician who was the first female medical doctor from the country. She was also the first woman accepted into the University of Haiti Medical School, and earned her medical degree in 1940. After graduation, she worked as a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology in the Port-au-Prince General Hospital. As Haiti's first female practitioner, she played an important role in providing improved medical access and tools for Haitian citizens. Among her other accomplishments, she was also one of the voices fighting for physical, economical, social, and political equality for Haitian women.
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Gladys Ejomi was the first female Cameroonian certificated physician.
Amal Bourquia is a Moroccan doctor, university professor, medical writer, and expert in ethics. She is the author of more than a dozen works on nephrology. She is the first woman to have the title of professor of nephrology in Morocco, and was the first president of the Moroccan Society of Renal Diseases.
Phanostratê was a Greek midwife and physician from the Hellenistic period, who lived in the 4th century BCE in the deme of Melite (Attica). Modern historians are only aware of her existence through two stelae created between 360 BCE and 340 BCE. Based on the available documentation, she is identified as the first woman to be referred to as "doctor" in the History of Ancient Greece.
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