Sculptor Sharon Bumann, born and raised in Central New York, met with Upstate leadership April 5 to discuss locations for two new sculptures that will celebrate the significant contributions of trailblazing Upstate women physicians—Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, and Sarah Loguen, MD.

Bumann, known for her bronze sculptures of the Jerry Rescue and Dr. Mary Walker, has begun work on the larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. The Dr. Sarah Loguen sculpture is in the proposal stage.

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to attend medical school and receive a medical degree in the United States. She graduated in 1849 from Geneva Medical College—now Upstate Medical University.

The Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell Legacy Fund will support the Blackwell sculpture and establish a scholarship in her name. The fund, held at the Upstate Foundation and Medical Alumni Foundation, was established in honor of Blackwell’s 200^th birthday—Feb. 3, 2021.

Sarah Loguen was the first African American women to graduate from Upstate’s medical school. Loguen, an 1876 College of Medicine graduate of what is now Upstate Medical University, was the fourth Black women in the U.S. to earn a medical degree. Dr. Sarah Loguen scholarships were established in 2001 and 2019.

Susan Keeter, associate director of Creative Services at Upstate, is assisting the leadership committee—led by Patricia Numann, MD, and Lynn Cleary, MD—by working with Bumann.

Baumann aims to have small models of the sculptures done in September.

To donate to the funds, visit the following links:

Donate to the Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell Legacy Fund

Donate to the Dr. Sarah Loguen scholarships