Elizabeth "Elma" Innes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Marion Innes 10 April 1921 |
| Died | 10 April 2015 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Education | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation(s) | physician, academic |
| Medical career | |
| Sub-specialties | paediatric haematology |
Elizabeth Marion Innes FRCPE (10 April 1921 - 10 April 2015) was a Scottish paediatric haematologist.[1][2]
Early life and education
Elizabeth Marion Innes (nickname, "Elma") was born in Adrossan, 10 April 1921. She grew up in Burntisland, Scotland.[1][3]
Innes attended The Mary Erskine's School in Edinburgh, commuting by train each day from her home in Fife.[3] She studied for her medical degree at the University of Edinburgh in 1943 and was the most distinguished woman graduate in her year.[1]
Career and research
As a junior doctor, she treated soldiers returning from the World War II at Gogarburn Emergency medical services hospital, going on to later specialise in paediatrics and community child health.[2][3] In 1962, she established the paediatric haematology unit in Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children, and was unpaid for the first two years of this work.[1][2][3] Innes became a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh in 1946, and a Fellow in 1966.[2][3]
Innes spent a year working as a haematology research fellow in St Louis, United states in the late 1940s.[1][3] She participated in multi-centre trials of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for children with leukaemia, and became a member of the Medical Research Council's working party on childhood leukaemia in 1969.[1][3] Innes was appointed as a senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in 1976.[1]
Personal life
She married her husband, James, in 1946 who had told her that he would only marry her if she passed the Royal College of Physicians examinations.[1][3] Together the couple had two daughters and a son. After retiring in 1981, she enjoyed travelling with James, particularly to Barra, and spending time with her family, gardening, reading and playing piano.[1][3] Innes was widowed in 2009, after 63 years of marriage. She died on her 94th birthday,[3] on 10 April 2015.