Sarah Rebecca Parrish papers

Sarah Rebecca Parish (November 1, 1870 - August 22, 1952) known as Rebecca Parrish was an American medical missionary and physician in the Philippines. Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Parrish attended the Medical College of Indiana. After working as an assistant physician, she joined the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church which sent her to work in Manila, Philippines. She spent 30 years in the Philippines, becoming the first female doctor to practice in the country and greatly improving health in the area. She is widely credited for being the driving force behind the Mary Johnston Hospital, which provided maternal care and services to impoverished people and for establishing the first nurses training institute in the country.