Kin Yamei

Kin Yamei (金韻梅) (also known as Jin Yunmei, Elsie Chin Yamei, and Elsie Szto) (1864-1934) was a Chinese-American physician, educator, and advocate for women's health and education. She is recognized as one of the first Chinese women to graduate from medical school in the United States.

Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China, Kin Yamei was adopted as an infant by the American missionary, Divie Bethune McCartee, and his wife, Juana Maria McCartee. She accompanied the McCartees to Japan and then to the United States in 1872. She received her early education in New York City, excelling academically.

In 1885, she enrolled at the Women's Medical College of the New York Infirmary, founded by Elizabeth Blackwell, where she graduated with honors in 1888. After graduation, she briefly returned to China, working in hospitals and private practice, addressing issues of sanitation and maternal health. She also served as superintendent of the North China Mission Hospital for Women and Children in Tianjin.

Kin Yamei later returned to the United States and engaged in public health work. She was a strong advocate for the modernization of Chinese medicine and hygiene practices. She played a crucial role in promoting Western medical knowledge and techniques in China. In 1907, she returned to China permanently, establishing the first modern nursing school in Tianjin. She also became involved in various philanthropic and educational initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Chinese women and children.

Her contributions to medicine, education, and public health, both in China and the United States, made her a pioneering figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Kin Yamei dedicated her life to improving the health and well-being of others, particularly women and children, bridging cultural and medical divides between the East and West.