Ingeborg Rapoport

Ingeborg Rapoport, born on September second, nineteen twelve, was a distinguished German pediatrician and university teacher who made significant contributions to East German medicine. Her journey began in Hamburg, where she pursued her medical studies during the oppressive regime of Nazi Germany. However, due to her Jewish ancestry, she was unjustly denied a medical degree, prompting her to flee to the United States in nineteen thirty-eight to continue her education.

After completing her medical training in the U.S., Rapoport faced further challenges in the early nineteen fifties when she and her husband were investigated for alleged un-American activities. This led her to leave the United States, and after a year in Vienna, she settled in the German Democratic Republic, where she became a pioneering figure in pediatric medicine. Rapoport was appointed the first chair of neonatology in all of Germany and dedicated her career to reducing infant mortality rates, achieving remarkable success during her tenure.

In nineteen fifty-nine, Rapoport received her Habilitation, a significant academic achievement, and was honored with the National Prize of East Germany and the title of Honoured Doctor of the People, among other accolades. Her efforts in pediatric care resulted in infant mortality rates in East Germany that were lower than those in West Germany during her active years.

In a remarkable turn of events, in two thousand fifteen, the Faculty of Medicine at Hamburg University rectified the injustices of the Nazi regime by awarding her a medical degree after an oral examination. This milestone made her the oldest person to receive a doctorate degree at the age of one hundred and two, a testament to her resilience and dedication to medicine.