Catherine Hamlin 1924–2020

Excerpt

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of Dr. Catherine Hamlin, who passed away peacefully at her home on the grounds of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at the age of 96. She was truly an inspiration and pioneer as a female surgeon committed to the care of women injured in childbirth. Along with her husband Reginald, they founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in 1974 after already over 20 years of caring for women sustaining devastating pelvic floor injuries such as vesico- and recto-vaginal fistulae. In total, she dedicated over 60 years of her life to caring for Ethiopian women marginalized and often isolated from society because of these devastating injuries. She inspired many through her humanity and selflessness to learn the surgical techniques and improve on the science of caring for these women. She was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace prize and was honored as the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons (SGS) Distinguished Surgeon at the 2014 SGS Annual Scientific Meeting. …