At over one hundred years of age, Dr. María Isabel Rodríguez remains a symbol of science,

To speak of María Isabel Rodríguez is to speak of a historic figure in the fields of medicine, education, and public health in El Salvador. Her career, spanning more than seven decades, reflects the efforts of a woman who opened doors in arenas long dominated by men. Born on November 5, 1922, Rodríguez became one of the first women to graduate as a physician from the University of El Salvador (UES) in the 1940s—a time when few women pursued university studies, and even fewer entered scientific fields.