Specializing in care for women, the initial Vincent Memorial Hospital also was led by women. The first two doctors  were surgeon Grace Wolcott, MD, and physician Lena Ingraham, MD. At their side were nurses and a team of women known as the Board of Managers, who helped manage the daily operations of the hospital, originally located at 44 Chambers Street in Boston. This group provided items needed to make patients’ hospital stays more comfortable — vegetables and other healthful foods, cots, mattresses, linens and more — often paying for these items out of their own pockets or hosting fundraisers. They visited with patients and supported the staff. Over the decades, Vincent Memorial Hospital moved to other locations in Boston, including relocation from its South Huntington Avenue facility to Mass General in 1941, led by its first male chief of staff, Joe Vincent Meigs, MD, a noted gynecologic surgeon. Throughout these changes, the Board of Managers retained its prominent hands-on role.

Today numbering more than 60 active members, this “boots on the ground” group believes a culture of philanthropy embodies more than dollars but also the valuable gifts of time and effort. They continue providing volunteer services for the care and comfort of OB/GYN patients, over and above their medical needs. Among a sampling of ongoing patient-oriented activities, they create fleece blankets for the Special Care Nursery and Hope Clinic, cuddle premature babies in the Special Care Unit, provide “comfort care” blankets to women receiving chemotherapy, provide gift cards to Vincent nurses and staff during the holidays and Nurses Appreciation Week, and give a VBOM teddy bear to all patients on the Vincent floors.

The Board of Managers provides lunches and snacks to OB/GYN staff and monthly cookies to researchers. They also assist with funding for professional training programs. In 2025, they raised $37,731 for initiatives benefiting Vincent OB/GYN patients and staff. A new initiative launched in May 2026 offers residents, interns and fellows museum passes and last-minute tickets to sporting events and the theatre, donated by VBOM members. They also plan to bring these doctors-in-training together for drop-in luncheons, offered several times a year as a thank-you for all they do. At the request of nurses in Labor and Delivery on Blake 13. they fully funded the Dancy Perinatal course in early June 2026. They also continued to support the Lacation Department by partially funding the conferences they attend.