Louise Gilman Hutchins '32

Alumnae Achievement Awards 1992

Pediatrician, Obstetrician

Louise Gilman Hutchins, a pioneer in maternal and child health, graduated from Wellesley in 1932 and earned her M.D. from Yale University in 1936. She was raised by missionary parents in pre-Communist China, and she returned there with her husband to complete her medical internship caring for refugee children. The couple left China in 1939 and moved to rural Kentucky, where Hutchins’ husband became the president of Berea College.

Dr. Hutchins continued her medical career as Berea’s sole pediatrician for 38 years and as Berea’s Mountain Maternal Health League president and director for over 50 years. She was committed to bringing maternal health care and family planning services to the Appalachian area.

Dr. Louise Hutchins received numerous awards and accolades for her pioneering efforts in eastern Kentucky. She died in 1996 at the age of 85.