LILA WALLIS

WALLIS--Dr. Lila Amdurska. Dr. Lila Amdurska Wallis, known as the "godmother of women's health" for her pioneering research on and advocacy for women's health issues, passed away at age 100 on January 3, 2022. A long- time New York City resident, Dr. Wallis served as a Clinical Professor of Medicine at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center for 55 years. Lila was born on June 1, 1921 to Jewish parents Samuel and Barbara Amdurski in Grodno, Poland. The family later moved to Vilna, where Lila met and married Benjamin Weintraub. After the Nazis invaded Vilna, Ben and Lila's brother, Izia, were deported to the Klooga concentration camp where Izia was murdered. Ben was one of 85 survivors, and later recounted his experience to John Hersey for an article titled Prisoner 339. Lila's mother went into hiding while Lila escaped to the countryside and was sheltered by a Polish woman, Janina Mejnartowicz, who was posthumously recognized in 2021 by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Person Among the Nations. After the war, Lila was miraculously reunited with her mother and husband. The three then emigrated to New York to join Lila's father. Lila graduated from Barnard College in 1947 and from Columbia University's medical school in 1951. She helped develop the teaching model for breast and pelvic exams that is used in medical schools today and authored numerous articles and textbooks on women's health. She was elected a Master of the American College of Physicians and served as president of the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA), president of the Women's Medical Association of New York (WMANYC), and founder and inaugural president of the National Council on Women's Health. Dr. Wallis is predeceased by her husband of 74 years, who passed away in 2015. She is survived by her sons, Dr. James (Kathleen) and Dr. Jeffrey (Mary Beth), as well as her grandchildren Caroline, Grace, and Jack. Dr. Lila Wallis will be remembered as a model of perseverance, a loving mother and grandmother, and a pioneer in the medical profession.