Gloria E. Sarto was a Professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
A native of Wisconsin, Dr. Sarto entered the University of Wisconsin in Madison emerging in 1963 with an undergraduate degree, a medical degree and completed residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. A PhD in Medical Genetics ultimately followed suit in 1971. Dr. Sarto held faculty appointments at the University of Wisconsin; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Milwaukee Clinical Campus of the University of Wisconsin; and University of New Mexico, School of Medicine in Albuquerque, where she chaired the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department from 1986-1996. Dr. Sarto returned to the UW in 1998, where she served as Acting Director of the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine; Co-Director of the UW National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health; Co-Director UW Center for Women’s Health Research; Associate Director of the UW Center for the Study of Cultural Diversity in Healthcare; Director of Research of the UW EXPORT Center; and Special Assistant to the Dean for Gender Issues.
Dr. Sarto served on the Institute of Medicine Board on Health Sciences Policy and the Committee on Understanding and Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. She also sat on the Committee on Lesbian Health Research Priorities and the Committee on Research Capabilities of Academic Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Additionally, Dr. Sarto played a critical role in bringing awareness to women’s health issues on a national level, going so far as to help set up the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women’s Health.
Throughout her professional career Dr. Sarto championed the health of women in innumerable ways. As a physician, she personally treated many women and delivered their babies; as a department chair, she taught and mentored many students, residents, and young faculty; and as a national voice for women’s health, she influenced public policy, educational curricula, and national research initiatives.
