Women in Medicine and Science at Upstate

This guide provides information on female pioneers associated with Upstate and its predecessor institutions who left lasting impacts on medicine and science. Please check back regularly as we will continue to add influential women to this guide.

Jane Sands Robb MD

Dr. Jane Sands Robb joined Upstate in 1931 as an assistant professor of the department of pharmacology. Dr. Robb became an associate professor and her tenure continued for 27 years until 1958. Dr. Robb was among the first women faculty members in the college of medicine.

Dr. Robb’s academic career is notable for her significant effort in research in cardiac muscle physiology and pathophysiology as well as the study of cardiac electrophysiology. Dr. Robb is classified officially as a pharmacologist, Comparative Basic Cardiology indicates that she is a biologist at heart and very familiar with the morphology and the physiology of the cardiovascular system throughout the animal kingdom (Fischer, 1960). Dr. Robb published the results of her research in proceedings of the society for experimental biology and medicine, American journal of physiology.

Reference:

Fischer E. Comparative Basic Cardiology. Archives of internal medicine (1960). 1966;117(2):313-314. doi:10.1001/archinte.1966.03870080157036

Bibliography - Publications

1. Robb JS, Robb RC. Converse Effects of Stimulating Opposite Ends of a Cardiac Muscle Band. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 1937;37(1):187-189. doi:10.3181/00379727-37-9504

2. Localization of cardiac infarcts in man: Robb, Jane Sands, and Robb, Robert C.: Am. J. M. Sc. 197: 17, 1939. American Heart Journal. 1939;17(3):380-381. doi:10.1016/S0002-8703(39)90016-5

3. The excitatory process in the mammalian ventricle: Robb, Jane Sands, and Robb, Robert Cummings: Am. J. Physiol. 115: 43, 1936. American Heart Journal. 1936;11(5):631-631. doi:10.1016/S0002-8703(36)90482-9

4. ROBB J. Electrocardiography and cardiac physiology. Journal of applied physiology (1948). 1950;3(1):1-11. doi:10.1152/jappl.1950.3.1.1

5. Day JB, Rech RH, Robb JS. Pharmacological and microelectrode studies on the frog lymph heart. Journal of cellular and comparative physiology. 1963;62(1):33-41. doi:10.1002/jcp.1030620106

Archives and Special Collections Materials relating to Jane Sands Robb MD

1. ROBB J. Study of Bazett’s K in animals. The American journal of physiology. 1951;166(3):584-593. doi:10.1152/ajplegacy.1951.166.3.584

2. Robb JS, Robb RC. HYPERTENSION ELECTROCARDIOGRAMS EXPERIMENTALLY PRODUCED AND ANATOMICALLY EXPLAINED: II. Left Ventricular Strain. The American journal of the medical sciences. 1942;203(5):634-641. doi:10.1097/00000441-194205000-00002