Browse "Women in STEM"
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Article
Irene Uchida
Irene Ayako Uchida, OC, geneticist (born 8 April 1917 in Vancouver, BC; died 30 July 2013 in Toronto, ON). Dr. Uchida pioneered the field of cytogenetics in Canada, enabling early screening for chromosomal abnormalities (i.e., changes in chromosomes caused by genetic mutations). She discovered that women who receive X-rays during pregnancy have a higher chance of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities. She also discovered that the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome may come from either parent, not only the mother. Click here for definitions of key terms used in this article.
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Article
Irma LeVasseur
Irma LeVasseur, MD, first French-Canadian female doctor and founder of the Hôpital Sainte-Justine in Montreal and the Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus in Québec City (born 20 January 1877 in Québec, QC; died 18 January 1964 in Québec, QC.) Dr. LeVasseur was one of the very few female doctors of her era and was a pioneer in pediatric medicine. She devoted her life to sick children, founding major institutions that continued her work after her death.
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Article
Moira Dunbar
Isobel Moira Dunbar, OC, FRSC, ice research scientist, public servant (born 3 February 1918 in Edinburgh, Scotland; died 22 November 1999 in Ottawa, ON). Moira Dunbar was a Scottish-Canadian ice research scientist. Beginning in the 1950s, Dunbar was one of the first women to conduct polar ice research in the Canadian Arctic from icebreakers and airplanes. She was involved in national and joint international projects that sought to better understand the Arctic, particularly the defence capabilities of Canada during the Cold War. Dunbar’s publications helped standardize Arctic ice terminology in the field during a period of growing interest in the Canadian North.
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Article
Jean Chamberlain Froese
Jean Chamberlain Froese, CM, MD, MEd, FRCSC, obstetrician, associate professor, international expert in women’s reproductive health (born 27 March 1965 in St. Thomas, ON). Chamberlain Froese is founding director of Save the Mothers and the founder and co-director of McMaster University’s International Women’s Health Program.
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Article
Jean Cuthand Goodwill
Jean Cuthand Goodwill, OC, nurse, public servant and Indigenous health and education advocate (born 14 August 1928 on the Poundmaker Cree Nation, SK; died 25 August 1997 in Regina, SK). Cuthand Goodwill was one of the first Indigenous registered nurses in Canada. In 1974, she cofounded Indian and Inuit Nurses of Canada (now known as the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association). She was a lifelong organizer, writer and educator who promoted First Nations health and culture.
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Article
Jenni Gibbons
Jennifer “Jenni” Anne MacKinnon Gibbons (née Sidey, formerly went by Jenni Sidey-Gibbons), astronaut, engineer, professor (born 3 August 1988 in Calgary, AB). In 2017, Jenni Gibbons was selected as an astronaut candidate by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). After completing her astronaut training, she became Canada’s third female astronaut. In 2023, it was announced that Gibbons would serve as Jeremy Hansen’s backup on the Artemis II lunar mission. Prior to becoming an astronaut, Gibbons was a professor of engineering, specializing in combustion.
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Article
Jennie Trout
Jennie (Jenny) Kidd Trout, physician, teacher (born 21 April 1841 in Kelso, Scotland; died 10 November 1921 in Hollywood, California). Trout was the first female physician licensed to practice medicine in Canada. She received her licence from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Ontario in 1875.
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Article
Julie Payette
Julie Payette, CC, CMM, COM, CQ, CD, astronaut, engineer, jet pilot, musician (born 20 October 1963 in Montréal, QC). Julie Payette is the first Canadian astronaut to board the International Space Station, which she went to twice (1999, 2009). She served as the chief astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency from 2000 to 2007. From 2013 to 2016, she was chief operating officer for the Montreal Science Centre and vice president of the Canada Lands Company. An accomplished scientific authority, musician and athlete, Payette is a board member of Own the Podium and a member of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s board of directors. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recommended Payette as Canada’s 29th Governor General. She served in the role from 2 October 2017 until 21 January 2021, when she resigned following allegations that she was abusive toward her staff.
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Macleans
Julie Payette (Profile)
This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on May 17, 1999. Partner content is not updated. Things just hit home big time when I flew a Dash-4 over the pad this evening at Kennedy Space Center. There it was - Discovery, all of white shining under the late afternoon sun. I just couldn't believe my eyes.
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Article
Leone Norwood Farrell
Leone Norwood Farrell, biochemist and microbiologist (born 13 April 1904 in Monkland, Ontario; died 24 September 1986 in Toronto). Farrell was a pioneer in the development of vaccines. Most notably, her “Toronto Method” made possible the large-scale production of the Salk polio vaccine in the early 1950s. Farrell’s polio vaccine work followed innovations in the production of pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, as well as penicillin.
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Article
Lillian Dyck
Lillian Eva Quan Dyck, OC, scholar, feminist, senator, advocate for Indigenous rights (born 24 August 1945 in North Battleford, SK). Lillian Dyck was the first Indigenous woman in Canada to earn a PhD in science. She was also the first Indigenous female senator and the first Chinese Canadian senator. During her time in the Senate, she was part of several actions to improve life for Indigenous people in Canada. This includes work on criminal justice and Indigenous education reform, and bills to reinstate Indian Status to women who had lost it based on sexist laws. Dyck was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2021.
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Article
Lucille Teasdale
Lucille Teasdale Corti, CM, GOQ, surgeon, humanitarian (born 30 January 1929 in Montreal, QC; died 1 August 1996 in Lombardy, Italy). Humanitarian and visionary Lucille Teasdale was one of Canada's first female surgeons. She travelled to Gulu, Uganda, to practice medicine and to help those in need. By the time of her death in 1996, she had received numerous international honours, including being named a Grand Officer of the National Order of Québec and a Member of the Order of Canada. Lucille Teasdale's extraordinary selflessness and humanitarian determination make her one of Canada's most remarkable women.
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Article
Mabel Hubbard Bell
Mabel Gardiner Hubbard Bell, aeronautics financier, community leader, social reformer and advocate for the deaf (born 25 November 1857 in Cambridge, Massachusetts; died 3 January 1923 in Chevy Chase, Maryland). Bell actively supported and contributed to the work of her husband, inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Her financial investment in his work made her the first financier of the aviation industry in North America. She was a community leader in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, where the Bell family spent their summers. She was also a social reformer and supported innovation in education. Click here for definitions of key terms used in this article.
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Article
Margaret Wilson Thompson
Margaret (Peggy) Anne Wilson Thompson, CM, human geneticist (born 7 January 1920 on the Isle of Man, England; died 3 November 2014 in Toronto, ON). Thompson contributed to human genetics through research on a variety of genetic disorders, particularly muscular dystrophy. She also cowrote Genetics in Medicine, a widely used text. While celebrated among her peers for her gifts as a scientist, mentor and teacher, she left a controversial legacy for her participation in eugenics in the early 1960s.
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