Emil Novak

Artist: Fox; Oil on canvas

Emil Novak was born in East Baltimore and graduated from Baltimore Medical College in 1904. He began practicing at the age of 20. His specialty was obstetrics and gynecology, especially pathology.

He began teaching at the Baltimore Medical College and then moved on to the University of Maryland and then to Johns Hopkins. He was well-known for his writings on ob/gyn and authored a number of papers and textbooks on the subject.

In 1929, Dr. Novak founded the Baltimore Obstetrical & Gynecological Society and became its first president. When the Society expanded to become a state-wide organization, he was again elected as its president.

In 1946, Dr. Novak became the co-editor of the Ob/Gyn Survey where his editorial comments were especially thoughtful. A year later, he became the President of the American Gynecological Society and the following year, he became an Honorary Fellow at the Royal College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians.

This portrait was painted in 1956 by Charles Fox from a photograph of Dr. Novak when he was 65 years old.