Ellis Shipp

Ellis Shipp was a pioneering physician in the field of Medicine, one of Utah's first female doctors with deep ties to the region's academic heritage through the University of Deseret, predecessor to the University of Utah. Born on January 20, 1847, she began her studies at the University of Deseret before pursuing medical training at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1875, graduating with an MD degree and honors in 1878. Sponsored by Brigham Young, she overcame significant personal hardships, including leaving her young children and studying while pregnant with her sixth child. In 1893, she furthered her education with graduate courses at the University of Michigan Medical School. Shipp practiced medicine for over 50 years in Salt Lake City, delivering more than 5,000 babies and focusing her expertise on obstetrics and women's health.

In 1879, Shipp founded the Ellis Reynolds Shipp's School of Obstetrics and Nursing, where she trained over 500 women as licensed midwives, profoundly impacting healthcare in Utah's Mormon settlements. She served on the board of the Deseret Hospital Association and traveled extensively at the request of the Relief Society to instruct women in health and nursing practices. Shipp co-founded and edited the Salt Lake Sanitarian: A Monthly Journal of Medicine and Surgery from 1888 to 1891 alongside her husband Milford Shipp and Margaret C. Roberts. Her published works include the poetry collection Life Lines in 1910. Committed to women's advancement, she was a member of the General Board of the Relief Society from 1898 to 1907, president of the Utah Women's Press Club, and a delegate to the National Council of Women. She delivered lectures at the World's Congress of Representative Women on the success of Utah women in medicine and medical education abroad. Shipp continued teaching obstetrics into her eighties, and her legacy endures through honors such as the Dr. Ellis Reynolds Shipp Park, Ellis R. Shipp Community Health Center, and Ellis Reynolds Shipp Hall at Brigham Young University. She died on January 31, 1939, at age 92.