Ellis Reynolds Shipp

Who was Ellis Reynolds Shipp?

Ellis Reynolds Shipp was one of the first female doctors in Utah and west of the Mississippi. She founded The School of Nursing and Obstetrics in 1879, and was on the board of the Deseret Hospital Association. She successfully combined motherhood and a medical practice, saying, “It is to me the crowning joy of a woman’s life to be a mother.” In her 50-year medical career, she delivered more than 5,000 babies—and led the School of Nursing and Obstetrics in training 500 women who became licensed midwives.