[Moments in Ewha] The Moments That Shaped Ewha

[Moments in Ewha] The Moments That Shaped Ewha – Episode 2

Date2026.02.23
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In a Confucian society where women were largely excluded from the benefits of modern medicine, Mary F. Scranton requested that the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church (WFMS) dispatch a female physician and worked to establish a hospital dedicated to women in Joseon.

In October 1887, Dr. Meta Howard, the first female physician to set foot in Korea, arrived in Joseon. As the founding director of Po Goo Nyo Goan, the first medical institution for women, she devoted herself to the treatment of women and children.

Through the prayers and dedication of WFMS medical missionaries—including Dr. Meta Howard, Dr. Rosetta Sherwood Hall, Dr. Mary Cutler, Dr. Lillian Harris, and Dr. Emma Ernsberger—Ewha pioneered a new history of medical care and medical education for women.

Celebrating 140 years of history built upon Ewha’s spirit of sharing and service, and marked by “firsts” and innovation.
We present another defining moment that helped shape the Ewha of today.

🎞️ Po Goo Nyo Goan, Its First Director Dr. Meta Howard, and the Medical Missionaries of WFMS

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