Dr. Hendricka Cantwell

Dr. Hendrika Cantwell
Pediatrican, Child Advocate
1925 -
INDUCTED 1990

Best known for her work with neglected and abused children, Dr. Hendrika Cantwell was involved in more than 30,000 abuse cases, and often testified in court. Dr. Cantwell remains one of the nation’s foremost experts in child abuse prevention.

Dr. Cantwell was a remarkable student who graduated from Barnard College at 19. She completed medical school and her pediatric internship before moving to Denver in 1952. While on the medical staff at Denver Health and Hospitals, Cantwell became the first doctor to work with the Denver Department of Social Services.

We need “. . . a change in basic attitudes, by which women and children will not be seen as possessions to be taken advantage of because of their smaller size.” – Dr. Hendrika Cantwell