Anna Donald
Encyclopedia
Anastasia Katherine "Anna" Donald (née Courtice; 1966 — 1 February 2009) was an Australian pioneer in the field of evidence-based medicine
.
; Wesley College, University of Sydney
, from which she graduated in 1989 as a bachelor of arts, majoring in history and preclinical medicine; the University of Oxford
, where she received a bachelor of medicine and surgery degree; and Harvard University
, where she graduated with a master's degree in public policy and degrees in medicine, economics and history. She was the second woman from New South Wales
to win a Rhodes Scholarship
, an honour previously awarded to her paternal grandfather.
While at Sydney University, Donald won the Henry Lawson
Prize for a collection of short stories. In 1988, she presided over the World Universities Debating Championship
, held in Sydney. It was at that event that she met Michael Hall, her future husband and then a member of the winning debating team, from Oxford. She was Honorary Treasurer of the University of Sydney Union from 1986–87, and President of the University of Sydney Union
from 1987-88.
and public policy at University College London
, and on the Whitehall Study
on public health
. In 1988, with Dr Vivek Muthu, she founded Bazian, a company which, according to its website, “provides evidence-based consulting and analysis to support the rational assessment, configuration and commissioning of healthcare services”.
. They married in 2005 in St. James Church, Sydney
. In February 2007, she learned that her cancer had metastasis
ed. Later that year she and her husband returned to Sydney. In April 2008, she began writing a blog for the online version of the British Medical Journal
. It was called From the Other Side and chronicled her living with cancer. Her last post was on 22 December 2008.
Evidence-based medicine
Evidence-based medicine or evidence-based practice aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making. It seeks to assess the strength of evidence of the risks and benefits of treatments and diagnostic tests...
.
Education
Donald was educated at North Sydney Girls High SchoolNorth Sydney Girls High School
North Sydney Girls High School is an academically selective, public high school for girls, located at Crows Nest, on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
; Wesley College, University of Sydney
Wesley College, University of Sydney
Wesley College is a Protestant co-residential college of over 230 students within the University of Sydney. The College occupies a site on the main campus of the University of Sydney and was built on a sub-grant of Crown Land.- Academic profile :...
, from which she graduated in 1989 as a bachelor of arts, majoring in history and preclinical medicine; the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where she received a bachelor of medicine and surgery degree; and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where she graduated with a master's degree in public policy and degrees in medicine, economics and history. She was the second woman from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to win a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
, an honour previously awarded to her paternal grandfather.
While at Sydney University, Donald won the Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
Prize for a collection of short stories. In 1988, she presided over the World Universities Debating Championship
World Universities Debating Championship
The World Universities Debating Championship is the world's largest debating tournament, and one of the largest annual international student events in the world. It is a parliamentary debating event, held using the British Parliamentary Debate format. Each year, the event is hosted by a university...
, held in Sydney. It was at that event that she met Michael Hall, her future husband and then a member of the winning debating team, from Oxford. She was Honorary Treasurer of the University of Sydney Union from 1986–87, and President of the University of Sydney Union
University of Sydney Union
The University of Sydney Union is the student-run services and amenities provider at the University of Sydney. The Union's key services include the provision of food and beverages, live music and other entertainment, the Verge Arts Festival and other cultural activities, Orientation week and...
from 1987-88.
Career
Donald worked as a doctor and lecturer in epidemiologyEpidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
and public policy at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, and on the Whitehall Study
Whitehall Study
The original Whitehall Study investigated social determinants of health, specifically the cardiorespiratory disease prevalence and mortality rates among British male civil servants between the ages of 20 and 64. The initial prospective cohort study, the Whitehall I Study, examined over 18,000...
on public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
. In 1988, with Dr Vivek Muthu, she founded Bazian, a company which, according to its website, “provides evidence-based consulting and analysis to support the rational assessment, configuration and commissioning of healthcare services”.
Medical Publishing
Donald was a founding editor of the British Medical Journal's Clinical Evidence, the Journal Of Evidence-Based Healthcare and Evidence Based Health Policy; and the author or co-author of The Hands-on Guide for Junior Doctors and House Officers Guide To Survival.Personal life
In 2003, while living in the United Kingdom, Donald was reunited with Michael Hall, who had become a lawyer. Shortly after this, she was diagnosed with breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. They married in 2005 in St. James Church, Sydney
St. James Church, Sydney
St James' Church is an Anglican church in King Street in Sydney, Australia. Consecrated on 11 February 1824, the church was designed by the transported convict architect Francis Greenway during the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie, and is part of the historical precinct of Macquarie Street...
. In February 2007, she learned that her cancer had metastasis
Metastasis
Metastasis, or metastatic disease , is the spread of a disease from one organ or part to another non-adjacent organ or part. It was previously thought that only malignant tumor cells and infections have the capacity to metastasize; however, this is being reconsidered due to new research...
ed. Later that year she and her husband returned to Sydney. In April 2008, she began writing a blog for the online version of the British Medical Journal
British Medical Journal
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
. It was called From the Other Side and chronicled her living with cancer. Her last post was on 22 December 2008.
Sources
- Pioneer in evidence based health care and one of the BMJ's finest bloggers, obituary by Richard Smith and Muir GrayMuir GrayJ.A. Muir Gray Kt, CBE, DSc, MD, FRCPSGlas, FCLIP is a doctor, who has held senior positions in screening, public health and information management....
in the British Medical Journal, 4 February 2009. - Correction by Smith and Gray above
- From the Other Side, Anna Donald's blog for the British Medical Journal
- Rhodes scholar fought to find truth, by Malcolm Brown in The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 February 2009, pg. 20
- Dr Anna Donald's obituary by Emma Dent, Health Services Journal.
- Bazian company website