A long and storied history connects The Vincent Club and the Vincent
Memorial Hospital. This connection began with Mrs. Mary Ann Vincent, whose
charity work and high profile in the theatre community made her a beloved
member of Boston. After her death in 1887, friends endowed the Vincent
Memorial Hospital in her name. In 1892, a group of imaginative and adventurous
girls at the exclusive Mrs. Shaw’s School for Girls in Boston founded The
Vincent Club with the mission to raise money for the Vincent Memorial Hospital.
And so the history of the two organizations began with an enduring commitment
to women’s health.
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After 150 years, The Vincent Club reaffirms
its vision and commitment to advancing women's health with new and innovative
fundraising initiatives. |
A long and storied history and an enduring commitment
to women’s health connects The Vincent Club and the Vincent Memorial Hospital.
This relationship began with Mrs. Mary Ann Vincent, whose charity work
and high profile in the theatre community made her a beloved member of
the Boston neighborhood. After her death in 1887, friends endowed the Vincent
Memorial Hospital in her name.
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 In
1892, a group of imaginative and adventurous girls at Mrs. Shaw’s School
for Girls in Boston founded The Vincent Club with the mission to raise
money for the Vincent Memorial Hospital. That year, they decided to stage
a theatrical performance to raise money for the fledgling hospital and,
at the same time, pay tribute to its actress namesake. The first Vincent
Show was a series of “tableaux vivants,” which involved women standing
in poses illustrating a scene or event. That first production in 1892 marked
the beginning of a long tradition at The Vincent Club. The Vincent Show
ran annually for the next 110 years, raising millions of dollars for the
Vincent Memorial Hospital. The tradition of the Vincent Drill began in
1896 with sixteen marching women performing precise and intricate patterns
during the Vincent Show. |
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While the Club was growing, so was the hospital. In 1940, the Vincent
Memorial Hospital accepted an invitation to become the gynecological unit
of Massachusetts General Hospital while retaining its name, staff and board
of directors. The move enabled Vincent researchers to accelerate their
efforts. Some important early milestones include pioneering the routine
use of the Pap smear, the use of testicular biopsy to study male infertility,
the identification of a relationship between polycystic ovaries and infertility,
the establishment of a program to measure hormone receptors in breast cancer
tissue, and the discovery of a link between gynecologic cancer in adolescent
girls to their mother’s use of DES during pregnancy.
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Since 1988, under the leadership of Isaac Schiff, MD, the Vincent has
continued to expand its clinical services and to break new ground in the
field of women’s health. This has been accomplished through many exciting
initiatives, including: the establishment of the In Vitro Fertilization
Unit, which boasts one of the highest success rates in the country; through
the addition of the Vincent Obstetrics Program; through specialized care
for women with urinary incontinence and related concerns at the Vincent
Center for Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery; and through the groundbreaking
biomedical research into women’s reproductive health conducted at the Vincent
Center for Reproductive Biology, which was established with seed money
from The Vincent Club.
The Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service is consistently ranked
among the top one percent in the country by U.S. News and World Report
in its annual ranking of best hospitals. The future of women’s health continues
to be transformed as Vincent clinicians and researchers examine the diseases
and disorders that affect women with an unwavering commitment to delivering
one standard of care for all women, regardless of their financial situation. |
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The Vincent Club moved into the twenty-first century, it became evident
that the Club could perform better in its mission to raise money in support
of the Hospital. After 110 years of producing the Vincent Show, the Club
has now dedicated itself to fundraising in new ways including an annual
gala dinner, the Vinique Boutique shopping benefit, our annual women’s
health Symposium and proceeds from the rental of our newly refurbished
clubhouse.
The Vincent Club continues to affirm the commitment and vision of those
senior girls at Mrs. Shaw’s School for Girls who began the journey of advancing
women’s health all those years ago. Our efforts remain focused to this
day. It continues to be our honor and privilege to support the Vincent
Memorial Hospital knowing that the efforts of The Vincent Club make a difference
in the field of women’s health worldwide.
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