Dr. DeAngelis (b. 1940) became the first woman editor of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2000. After putting herself through college and medical school, she served as Vice Dean at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. DeAngelis has authored or edited 13 books on Pediatrics, Medical Education and Patient Care, Professionalism and her memoir, "Pursuing Equity in Medicine: One Woman's Journey."

She has also published over 250 peer reviewed articles, chapters, and editorials. Dr. DeAngelis, raised in a coal-mining town in northeastern Pennsylvania, is a woman of Italian American descent, and paved the way for not only Italian Americans but for women also in a heavily male-dominated career. Her compassion for others inspired her to develop many programs that would aid in bettering the lives of those who were in desperate need of health care.