In the late 1860s, Susan Dimock defied barriers that kept women out of medicine, earning her degree in Zurich after being rejected by Harvard Medical School and returning to Boston as a pioneering surgeon. Before her life was cut short in a shipwreck at 28, she helped reshape medical care for women and founded one of the nation’s first professional nursing training programs. Historian Susan Wilson joins us to discuss her biography, “Women and Children First: The Trailblazing Life of Susan Dimock, M.D.” You can catch Susan Wilson for an author talk at the Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library on Thursday March 12, and on March 26th she’ll be at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre.

Creative Sector Day brings artists directly into the Massachusetts State House, transforming the seat of government into a live showcase of music, dance, poetry, and visual art. The event comes as federal cultural funding cuts have withdrawn nearly $2.8 million from Massachusetts organizations, putting hundreds of creative jobs at risk. MASSCreative Executive Director Emily Ruddock joins us to discuss what’s at stake for the Commonwealth’s arts community. Creative Sector Day is tomorrow, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM at the State House, learn more here.

An upcoming exhibition at the New Bedford Art Museum, “Resistance: Cultural and Political Narratives in Mexican Art” brings together artists responding to censorship, political pressure, migration, and cultural survival. Through sculpture, printmaking, and installation, their work reflects the realities shaping contemporary life in Mexico. Executive Director and Chief Curator Suzanne de Vegh and exhibiting artist Adela Goldbard join us to preview the exhibition, on view March 11 through May 31. To learn more go here.

March 2, 2026 - Susan Wilson on Susan Dimock M.D., Creative Sector Day, and "Resistance" at the New Bedford Art Museum

The Culture Show Podcast