Fiona Stanley
Encyclopedia
Fiona Stanley, AC
(born 1 August 1946) is an Australia
n epidemiologist
noted for her public health work, and her research into child and maternal health, and birth disorders such as cerebral palsy
.
. She loved reading about people like Marie Curie and through her father, who was a researcher on polio, she met Dr Jonas Salk
. Stanley has said of her childhood that "in my dreams I would sail out to all the undiscovered islands and inoculate the inhabitants in a whirlwind race to conquer disease and pestilence".
In 1956 the family moved to WA when Stanley's father took the Foundation Chair of Microbiology at the University of Western Australia
. She went to St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
before studying Medicine at the University of Western Australia, graduating in 1970.
She married Geoffrey Shellam, who later occupied the same Chair of Microbiology
that her father had occupied. They have two daughters.
, where her patients included thin and sick Aboriginal children flown in from remote western settlements. She said of this work that "we would perform expensive 'miracles' ... and then dump them back into the environments that had caused their problems". Consequently, she says, she started travelling, with colleagues, to "every mission camp, reserve and fringe-dwelling group in Western Australia ... talking to the old people ... trying to get a handle on the health issues and the environmental issues". She began to understand the impact of life chances and living conditions on children. She also worked at the Australian Aborigine Aboriginal Clinic in East Perth.
This experience sparked an interest in epidemiology and public health
. She spent six years in the United Kingdom
, at the Social Medicine Unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
, and the United States
researching these areas before returning to Perth to establish research programs at the University and within the health department. She became "part of the next trend in medicine, the move from a preoccupation with curing disease to a focus on prevention and social causal pathways".
During her high profile career, Stanley has focussed on the importance of using population data to provide significant health, social and economic benefits to the community. In 1977, her research group established the WA Maternal and Child Health Research Database. It is a unique collection of data on births from the entire state which has proved a valuable resource in predicting trends in maternal and child health and the effects of preventive programs. Stanley's research also includes strategies to enhance health and well-being in populations; the causes and prevention of birth defects and major neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy
; the causes and lifelong consequences of low birth weight; and patterns of maternal and child health in Aboriginal
and Caucasian populations. "Data collected enabled Stanley and her colleagues to explore, for instance, the connection between a lack of folic acid
in diets and spina bifida
, and markedly reduce it". This work in 1989 confirmed that the benefit of folate in preventing spina bifida, as first shown in double blind clinical trials in the UK (Laurence et al., BMJ 282 1509-1511 (1981)), also applied in Western Australian populations.
In 1990, she became the founding Director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
, in Subiaco, Western Australia
. The Telethon Institute is a multi-disciplinary research facility that investigates the causes and prevention of major childhood diseases and disabilities. Since 1995 it has received major funding from an annual telethon. It also receives federal and state funding, and monies from research foundations, grants and commercial contracts.
In 2002, due largely to her lobbying, Prime Minister Howard
launched the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) http://www.aracy.org.au of which she is Chairperson. The Alliance has offices located in Canberra, Perth, and Melbourne, and aims to progress collaboration and evidence based action to improve the wellbeing of Youth Australians. In her 2003 Kenneth Myer Lecture at the National Library of Australia
she talked about "modernity's paradox" in which increasing wealth and opportunity has also resulted in increased social differences and more problems for children and youth, including increases in asthma, obesity, diabetes, child abuse, binge-drinking, drug abuse and mental health problems. She argued for cross-disciplinary work and said the challenge is "to intervene earlier in the causal cycles".
She is a professor at the School of Paediatrics and Child Health at University of Western Australia
, and the UNICEF Australian Ambassador for Early Childhood Development. She was named Australian of the Year
in 2003. A planned hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital
, named in her honour, will open in 2014.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 1 August 1946) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n epidemiologist
Epidemiology
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...
noted for her public health work, and her research into child and maternal health, and birth disorders such as cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
.
Life
Fiona Stanley was born in Little Bay, New South WalesLittle Bay, New South Wales
Little Bay is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Little Bay is located 14 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Randwick....
. She loved reading about people like Marie Curie and through her father, who was a researcher on polio, she met Dr Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk
Jonas Edward Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist, best known for his discovery and development of the first safe and effective polio vaccine. He was born in New York City to parents from Ashkenazi Jewish Russian immigrant families...
. Stanley has said of her childhood that "in my dreams I would sail out to all the undiscovered islands and inoculate the inhabitants in a whirlwind race to conquer disease and pestilence".
In 1956 the family moved to WA when Stanley's father took the Foundation Chair of Microbiology at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
. She went to St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
Established in Claremont in 1896, the school currently caters for approximately 1,052 students from the Early Learning Centre to Year 12, including 150 boarders in Years 7 to 12...
before studying Medicine at the University of Western Australia, graduating in 1970.
She married Geoffrey Shellam, who later occupied the same Chair of Microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
that her father had occupied. They have two daughters.
Career
Her first job in the early 1970s, was in a paediatrics clinic at Perth's children's hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital for ChildrenPrincess Margaret Hospital for Children
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children is a centre for paediatric research and care. The hospital is located on Roberts Road in Subiaco, Western Australia. It is the state's only specialist children's hospital...
, where her patients included thin and sick Aboriginal children flown in from remote western settlements. She said of this work that "we would perform expensive 'miracles' ... and then dump them back into the environments that had caused their problems". Consequently, she says, she started travelling, with colleagues, to "every mission camp, reserve and fringe-dwelling group in Western Australia ... talking to the old people ... trying to get a handle on the health issues and the environmental issues". She began to understand the impact of life chances and living conditions on children. She also worked at the Australian Aborigine Aboriginal Clinic in East Perth.
This experience sparked an interest in epidemiology and 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...
. She spent six years in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, at the Social Medicine Unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a constituent college of the federal University of London, specialising in public health and tropical medicine...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
researching these areas before returning to Perth to establish research programs at the University and within the health department. She became "part of the next trend in medicine, the move from a preoccupation with curing disease to a focus on prevention and social causal pathways".
During her high profile career, Stanley has focussed on the importance of using population data to provide significant health, social and economic benefits to the community. In 1977, her research group established the WA Maternal and Child Health Research Database. It is a unique collection of data on births from the entire state which has proved a valuable resource in predicting trends in maternal and child health and the effects of preventive programs. Stanley's research also includes strategies to enhance health and well-being in populations; the causes and prevention of birth defects and major neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
; the causes and lifelong consequences of low birth weight; and patterns of maternal and child health in Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and Caucasian populations. "Data collected enabled Stanley and her colleagues to explore, for instance, the connection between a lack of folic acid
Folic acid
Folic acid and folate , as well as pteroyl-L-glutamic acid, pteroyl-L-glutamate, and pteroylmonoglutamic acid are forms of the water-soluble vitamin B9...
in diets and spina bifida
Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
, and markedly reduce it". This work in 1989 confirmed that the benefit of folate in preventing spina bifida, as first shown in double blind clinical trials in the UK (Laurence et al., BMJ 282 1509-1511 (1981)), also applied in Western Australian populations.
In 1990, she became the founding Director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
Established in 1990 by former Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Stanley, the Telethon Institute of Child Health Research in Western Australia is a multidisciplinary research centre with more than 500 staff, post-graduate students and visiting scholars, working collaboratively to improve the...
, in Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north west of Kings Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Subiaco.-History:Prior to European settlement the area was home to the Noongar Indigenous people....
. The Telethon Institute is a multi-disciplinary research facility that investigates the causes and prevention of major childhood diseases and disabilities. Since 1995 it has received major funding from an annual telethon. It also receives federal and state funding, and monies from research foundations, grants and commercial contracts.
In 2002, due largely to her lobbying, Prime Minister Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
launched the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) http://www.aracy.org.au of which she is Chairperson. The Alliance has offices located in Canberra, Perth, and Melbourne, and aims to progress collaboration and evidence based action to improve the wellbeing of Youth Australians. In her 2003 Kenneth Myer Lecture at the National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
she talked about "modernity's paradox" in which increasing wealth and opportunity has also resulted in increased social differences and more problems for children and youth, including increases in asthma, obesity, diabetes, child abuse, binge-drinking, drug abuse and mental health problems. She argued for cross-disciplinary work and said the challenge is "to intervene earlier in the causal cycles".
She is a professor at the School of Paediatrics and Child Health at University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, and the UNICEF Australian Ambassador for Early Childhood Development. She was named Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
in 2003. A planned hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital
Fiona Stanley Hospital
Fiona Stanley Hospital is a new hospital which is under construction in Murdoch, Western Australia. It is the largest building project ever undertaken for the Government of Western Australia....
, named in her honour, will open in 2014.
Awards, honours and other recognition
- 1996: Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), "for service to maternal and child health research, particularly in perinatal and infant problems, and for her contributions to improving aboriginal and community health" in the Queen's Birthday HonoursQueen's Birthday HonoursThe Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
List - 2001: Centenary MedalCentenary MedalThe Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
- 2002: the subject of an Australian stampPostage stampA postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
in a series of six stamps showing eminent medical Australian scientists. - 2003: Australian of the YearAustralian of the YearSince 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
- 2004: the National Trust's Australian Living TreasureAustralian Living TreasuresAustralian Living Treasures are people who have been nominated by the National Trust of Australia. The first list of 100 Living Treasures was published in 1997....
. - 2008: runner in the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay2008 Summer Olympics torch relayThe 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China...
, in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 24 April 2008.
External links
- Interview with Fiona Stanley on ABC-TV Enough Rope, 2003-10-06 Accessed: 2007-09-30
- Transcript of 2008 Hawke Lecture' Accessed: 2009-01-19