Virginia Insley (1912-2003) — Social Worker and Chief, Maternal and Child Health Services, U.S. Children’s Bureau

Virginia Insley is known for her steadfast promotion of high standards in social work education and practice in maternal and child health programs. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, Seattle and her master of social work degree from the Graduate School of Social Work at the same university. In 1942, she worked as medical social work consultant in the division of Maternal and Child Health and Crippled Children Services, Washington State Department of Health. From 1944 to 1949, she served at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston as a supervisor and later as acting director of the social services department where she taught clinical clerks from the Harvard University and Tufts medical schools as well as nursing students from Beth Israel Hospital. From 1949 to 1952, she was chief social worker for the Richmond City Department of Public Health, taught at the Medical College of Virginia, and was a field instructor from the school of social work at the Richmond Professional Institute.

Insley joined the U.S. Children Bureau in 1952 as a regional medical social work consultant, and, in 1955 came to Washington, DC to accept a position as chief of the medical social services section in the division of Maternal and Child Health Services, U.S. Children’s Bureau. When Maternal and Child Health Services was transferred to the U.S. Public Health Service, in 1969 she continued in her position as chief until her retirement in 1980.

Insley traveled extensively throughout the United States encouraging the development of high standards in medical social work practice in a variety of maternal and child health services and promoting public health social work education in schools of public health.

Upon retirement, she was honored by the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health for her contribution to public health education and also by the social work section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). A collection of personal papers and documents is available at the Schlesinger Library on History of Women in America, Radcliffe College.