Person
Stanley, Fiona Juliet (1946 - )
AC FAA FFPHM FAFPHM FFCCH FRAP FRACOG FASSA
- Born
- 1 August 1946
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Paediatrician and Epidemiologist
Summary
Fiona Stanley is Founding Director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, Western Australia, inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth and Professor of Paediatrics, University of Western Australia. She is one of Australia's best regarded paediatricians and epidemiologists, and a major force behind improving health conditions in Australia's Aboriginal populations.
Details
Fiona Juliet Stanley moved to Perth with her family in 1956. After completing her secondary studies she took up medicine at the University of Western Australia. As part of her studies, she did a clinical post at the Aboriginal Clinic in East Perth. The poor health of many of the patients, especially the children, inspired Stanley to concentrate on paediatrics, epidemiology and public health. To further her knowledge and training, she worked in the UK and USA for six years, and completed a Masters degree at the University of London. Upon returning to Australia Stanley established research programs at the University of Western Australia and the Health Department of Western Australia. She also was instrumental in the creation of Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.
Two of Fiona Stanley's most significant discoveries are that a maternal diet rich in folic acid can prevent spina bifida in babies and that cerebral palsy is not only the result of birth trauma. It may also be caused by other factors including infections or blood incompatibilities. Stanley is also recognised for her considerable contribution to Aboriginal maternal and child health in Western Australia. She has served on many scientific boards and has received many awards, including the Companion of the Order of Australia for her contribution to child and Aboriginal health and health research.
Chronology
- 1970
- Education - Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Bachelor of Surgery (BS) completed at the University of Western Australia
- 1976
- Education - Master of Science in Epidemiology (MSc) completed at the University of London
- 1976 - 1977
- Career position - Visiting Scientist at the National Institutes of Health, USA
- 1976 - 1988
- Career position - Member of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians in the UK (MFPHM)
- 1978 - 1979
- Career position - Senior Medical Officer in Child Health at the Health Department of Western Australia
- 1980 - 1988
- Career position - Deputy Director of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Unit Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
- 1986
- Education - Doctor of Medicine (MD), University of Western Australia
- 1988 - 1990
- Career position - Director of the NHMRC Research Unit Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
- 1989 -
- Career position - Founding Director of the TVW Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (formerly the Western Australian Research Institute for Child Health)
- 1989
- Career position - Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine (FFPHM) at the Royal College of Physicians, UK
- 1990 -
- Career position - Professor of Paediatric sat the University of Western Australia
- 1991 -
- Career position - Foundation Fellow of the Faculty of Community Child Health (FFCCH)
- 1992
- Career position - Chairman of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Board
- 1994 -
- Career position - Fellow, Royal Australian College of Physicians (FRACP)
- 1995 -
- Career position - Fellow-ad-eundem of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynocologists (FRACOG)
- 1996 -
- Award - Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (FASSA)
- 11 Jun 1996
- Award - Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) - for service to maternal and child health research, particularly in peri-natal and infant problems, and for her contributions to improving aboriginal and community health
- 1998
- Award - Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc), honoris causa, Murdoch University, Western Australia
- 2002
- Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
- 2003
- Award - Centenary Medal - For outstanding advocacy to improving the health of the general population
- 2003
- Award - Australian of the Year
- 2008
- Award - Doctor of Medicine (MD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
- 2009
- Award - Honorary Bragg Member, Royal Institution of Australia
- 2012
- Award - Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
Related entries
Husband
Parent
Archival resources
National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection
- Biographical cuttings on Fiona Stanley, Dr., medical researcher, Cuttings Files BIOG; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details
Published resources
Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions
- McCarthy, Gavan; Morgan, Helen; Smith, Ailie; van den Bosch, Alan, Where are the Women in Australian Science?, Exhibition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, First published 2003 with lists updated regulary edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details
Journal Articles
- Bower, C;; and Stanley, F. J., 'Dietary folate as a rick factor for neural-tube defects: evidence from a case-control study in Western Australia', Medical Journal of Australia, 150 (1989), 413-9. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1653736. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/56781290. Details
- '2003 Australian of the Year', Australian of the Year Awards, National Australia Day Council, https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/professor-fiona-stanley-ac. Details
- 'Stanley, Fiona J (1946-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-560796. Details
- 'Awarded honorary LLD, 2012 [Citation provided]', Honorary degree holders, University of Melbourne, 2023, https://about.unimelb.edu.au/notable-alumni-staff/honorary-degree-holders. Details
- 'Awarded honorary MD, 2008 [Citation provided]', Honorary degree holders, University of Melbourne, 2023, https://about.unimelb.edu.au/notable-alumni-staff/honorary-degree-holders. Details
Resource Sections
- Swan, Norman, 'Interview with Professor Fiona Stanley', in Interviews with Australian scientists, Australian Academy of Science, 18 May 2000, http://www.science.org.au/scientists/interviews/s/fs.html. Details
See also
Rosanne Walker and Annette Alafaci
Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 24 August 2023