Patricia Cowdery Oral History Interview

Interview with Patricia Cowdery a retired medical doctor with the State of Florida. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Dr. Cowdery graduated from Vassar College and entered Temple medical school in 1944, graduating in 1948. Dr. Cowdery started her career in Jacksonville, in private practice then began working in public health for the federal government at a rapid treatment center during the early days of using penicillin to treat syphilis. She then continued by working on specimens and data collected during the Korean War and typing salmonella. Dr. Cowdery then entered Florida public health, she began by investigating nursing home practices and her data collection eventually led to the adoption of industry standards in Duval County, Florida. After working for the City of Jacksonville and Duval County on various issues, including maternal and child health, Dr. Cowdery returned to school and obtained her master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. When she returned in 1971 she became the first female Public Health Officer for Duvall County and helped coordinated the merger of the city and county health departments. She continued as the Public Health Officer until she retired in 1988