Born in 1920 to Irish immigrants Peter and Mary Culhane from County Waterford, Mary Culhane grew up in Washington Heights, NY and attended Hunter High School and Hunter College. Following college and the outbreak of World War II, she began studies at New York University School of Medicine. After three years, Mary earned her medical in 1946. She interned at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City and continued with a Residency in Public Health with the New York City Department of Health. Mary married Jack McLaughlin in 1947. In 1960 the family moved to Munsey Park, a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, NY. They had one daughter, Fran, three grandchildren, and three beloved great-grandchildren. Mary originally entered private practice after residency but found that public service was her true calling. She became a District Health Officer in New York City in 1954 and was promoted to Borough Director of Health of Queens County in 1959, a position she maintained until she advanced to Assistant Commissioner for Professional and Community Health Services, and then Associate Deputy Commissioner of Health. On May 28, 1969, NY City Mayor John V. Lindsay appointed Dr. Mary McLaughlin as Commissioner of the Department of Health. She was the second woman to hold the post. Under McLaughlin’s leadership, the Health Department launched initiatives that addressed narcotics addiction, mental health, and lead poisoning. In 1970, three years before the Roe v. Wade US Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion all around the country, NY State enacted legislation that permitted abortions up to the 24th week. Dr. McLaughlin championed a ban against health providers performing abortions in their private offices. She believed regulating the procedure would be more effective in hospitals. Dr. McLaughlin’s motivation was to keep women as safe as possible; hence the initial decision to limit the procedure to hospitals. She served as Commissioner of Health of the City of New York until 1972. In 1973 Mary assumed the duties of Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. In 1976 she joined the staff of the Long Island Jewish Hospital as Chairman of the Department of Community Medicine, which included overseeing the operations of the hospital Emergency Services. Mary’s many certifications, awards and citations include President of the American College of Preventive Medicine, Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, Fellow of the American Public Health Association, Professor of Community Medicine at SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine and at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She was cited in The World Who’s Who of Women, and Who’s Who of American Women. She received over 20 awards for distinguished service in Public Health including Woman of the Year of Molloy College, Hunter College Hall of Fame, and NYU Medical School Distinguished Alumna. Though she had a demanding and high-profile career, Mary always made time for her passions: bridge, golf, and crossword puzzles. She and Jack enjoyed 67 years together. Mary C. McLaughlin, MD passed away on the morning of June 12, 2014 at her home at New Seasons at New Britain in Chalfont, Pennsylvania.

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