May Owen (May 3, 1891 – April 12, 1988) was a Texas physician who discovered that the talcum powder used on surgical gloves caused infection and scar tissue to form on the peritoneum. She was the first woman elected as president of the Texas Society of Pathologists (1945), of the Tarrant County Medical Society (1947), and of the Texas Medical Association (1960). She endowed the second chair of the Texas Tech University School of Medicine and received many awards during her career, including induction into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame, Recognition of Merit from the Texas Medical Association, and receipt of the George T. Caldwell Award from the Texas Society of Pathologists.