Mary DeWitt Pettit, M.D. (1908-1996)

Name/Title

Mary DeWitt Pettit, M.D. (1908-1996)

Entry/Object ID

100.6

Made/Created

Artist

Martha Mayer Erlebacher

Date made

1981

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall Dimensions

Height

66 in

Width

66 in

Depth

2-1/2 in

Dimension Description

Canvas Dimensions

Height

63 in

Width

63 in

Dimension Notes

Canvas size difficult to estimate due to size of portrait.

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Exhibition Label

Label

Dr. Pettit joined the MCP faculty in 1946 as Chairman of the Gynecology Department. When in 1958 Gynecology merged with Obstetrics, the department was able to offer an integrated educational experience to students, interns, and residents. Under her leadership, the department became one of the first in the country to initiate intrauterine fetal monitoring and pioneered the use of radiation therapy for the treatment of gynecological cancer. A fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Dr. Pettit was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Medical Science by MCP in 1972. Upon her retirement in 1974, the faculty honored Dr. Pettit with the title Professor Emerita of Obstetrics and Gynecology.