Elizabeth Smith Shortt

Elizabeth Smith Shortt
Elizabeth Smith Shortt, ca. 1910
Born
Elizabeth Smith

(1859-01-18)18 January 1859
Vinemount, Ontario, Canada
Died14 January 1949(1949-01-14) (aged 89)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
OccupationPhysician
Known forOne of first three women to obtain a medical degree in Canada
Spouse
(m. 1886; died 1931)

Elizabeth Smith Shortt (18 January 1859 – 14 January 1949) was one of the first three women to earn a medical degree in Canada. She was one of the women medical students expelled from Queen's University, Ontario following a hostile backlash from male staff and students at the presence of women in the medical school. Shortt went on to complete her studies at a newly established women's college and practised medicine in Hamilton, Ontario. She was a long-serving and active member of the National Council of Women of Canada and spearheaded a number of public health and women's welfare initiatives.