Dorothy Hansine Andersen

Biography

Dorothy Hansine Andersen was born in 1901 and earned her medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1924. She pursued a career in pediatric pathology, serving on staff at New York City's Babies Hospital and bringing a research-driven focus to the frail infants whose digestive and respiratory struggles had long eluded clear explanation.

In 1938 Andersen published the first clinical description of cystic fibrosis, distinguishing it from celiac disease, championing sweat chloride testing, and urging early diagnosis and supportive care; she persevered in an era when few women were credited with such discoveries and her meticulous work continues to guide pediatricians and pathologists around the world.