In this episode of Armchair Historians, host Anne Marie Cannon interviews historical fiction author Janis Robinson Daly, whose work unearths the forgotten stories of early women doctors and the generations who paved the way for them.

Janis shares how genealogy research led her to discover that her great-great-grandfather was both an abolitionist lawyer and a founder of the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania—sparking her fascination with women’s medical history. Her novels, The Unlocked Path and The Path Beneath Her Feet, follow fictional doctor Eliza Edwards, a character inspired by real women who fought for their place in medicine between the 1890s and World War II.

Anne and Janis discuss balancing fact and fiction, the impact of the Depression and two world wars on women’s lives, and how major historical events shape character development. They also dive into Janis’s literary-citizenship project, #31TitlesWomenInHistory, a curated annual list celebrating women-centered historical fiction and amplifying voices of women authors.

Topics include:
– Early women physicians and the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania
– How genealogy research can uncover hidden stories
– Writing historical fiction responsibly
– The role of author’s notes in clarifying fact vs. imagination
– The Great Depression’s impact on women in medicine
– Janis’s #31TitlesWomenInHistory project and how she chooses the books
– Her upcoming 2026 novel

Books Mentioned:
– The Unlocked Path (2022)
– The Path Beneath Her Feet (2024)

Where to Find Janis:
janisrdaly.com | @janisrdaly_author

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• Dr. Rod Tanchanco — First Patients
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Janis Robinson Daly: Celebrating Women's Stories through Historical Fiction