Dorothy Frances Pratt, daughter of James Francis Pratt, was born on December 14, 1907 in Salem, Massachusetts. She attended St. James High School and graduated in 1926.

Dorothy F. Pratt graduated from the Children's Hospital School of Nursing in 1930 and worked at Children's Hospital until she joined the Army Nurse Corps in 1943 as a second lieutenant. Dorothy F. Pratt arrived in the United Kingdom in April of 1944 to begin her tour of duty in Europe. She served with distinction in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Czechoslovakia with General Patton’s Third Army. Dorothy F. Pratt was promoted to first lieutenant in 1945 and was awarded the Bronze Star for her meritorious service in France and Belgium during the German breakthrough. She also earned the European African Middle East Service Ribbon with 5 Battle Stars, Presidential Unit Citation, American Theater Ribbon, and American Victory Ribbon.

After the war, Dorothy F. Pratt earned a degree in Nursing Education from Boston University and a certificate in Public Health Nursing from Simmons College. She also studied under Sister Kenney at the University of Minnesota for the treatment of infantile paralysis and at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dorothy F. Pratt returned to her position at Children's Hospital after leaving the Army. She distinguished herself during the polio epidemic of the mid-1950s and later played a significant role in the rapid growth of the outpatient and emergency services departments. Dorothy F. Pratt was director of the Children's Hospital Outpatient Department at the time of her retirement in June, 1971. She died in Salem, Massachusetts in January 1998 at the age of 90.