Women in STEM: Diabetes Research and Beyond
Discover the awe-inspiring stories of Canadian women who broke barriers and accomplished some of the world’s greatest medical achievements. Here you can learn about the women who played a vital role in the development of insulin, and others who had a monumental impact in developing the Polio vaccine, detecting cancers and hepatitis, and discoveries in botany.
In the Story of the Development of Insulin
Dr. Gladys Boyd
When the first injections of insulin were introduced at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, it was Dr. Gladys L. Boyd, one of Canada’s early female doctors, who assisted in the administration and subsequent care of the first recipients.
Dr. Lillian Chase
“The late Professor McPhedran presented to his fifth year medical class of which I was a member a little diabetic boy who, in addition to the usual dietetic treatment had had two doses of ‘Banting’s fluid’. I should like to be able to say that we all realized that we were in the presence of a great discovery.”
Dr. Henrietta Ball Banting
It may come as a surprise to many that Dr. Frederick Banting’s second wife, Lady Henrietta Banting, was a highly accomplished obstetrician, and the champion of routine mammography and breast cancer prevention in Canada. One can even argue that Henrietta Banting’s accomplishments at very least equal that of her husband’s in medicine and research.
In the History of Canada
Dr. Carrie Derick
Carrie Derrick’s intellectual legacy, especially by virtue of introducing the subject of evolution and genetics to Canadian Universities will continue to tell her story of determination and resilience. As a co-founder of the National Council of Women, she will be remembered as a pioneer of gender equality and a trailblazer for Canadian women in science.
Dr. Leone Farrell
Working tirelessly, Dr. Leone Farrell had formulated a method, famously dubbed the ‘Toronto Method’, that brought the rate of polio infections among Canadian children from 50,000 in the 1950s to almost zero by 1965. Yet, the story of this little known science heroine became buried in the archives, and has only recently been unearthed in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the race for a vaccination.
Dr. Maud Menten
Maud Menten is a highly celebrated figure today, not only as being among the first Canadian women to become a medical doctor, but also because of her career which includes a lengthy list of other notable ‘firsts’.