Barbara Ansell | |
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| Born | Barbara Mary Ansell (1923-08-30)30 August 1923 |
| Died | 14 September 2001(2001-09-14) (aged 78) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham,Hammersmith Hospital |
| Awards | CBE,FRCP |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | paediatricrheumatology, chronic joint disorders |
| Institutions | Northwick Park Hospital |
Barbara Mary Ansell (30 August 1923 – 14 September 2001) was a British medical doctor and the founder of the field ofpaediatricrheumatology. Ansell was notable for outstanding contributions to the advancement of paediatric knowledge, specifically defining chronic joint disorders and the improvement of their management.[2]
Ansell was educated atKing's High School for Girls. She qualified at theUniversity of Birmingham in 1946 and did her post-graduate training at theRoyal Postgraduate Medical School inHammersmith. In 1951 she was appointed as registrar to ProfessorEric Bywaters at theCanadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital,Taplow, Buckinghamshire, where she conducted research onheart disease inrheumatic fever.[3]
Ansell was based at theCanadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital, specializing in the research and treatment ofJuvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. She developed a classification system for childhood arthritis. While focusing on treatment of the disease, she recognised the importance of maintaining educational and social skills in young patients.
She pioneered a team system of professionals includingphysiotherapists,occupational therapists, nurses, teachers, social workers,ophthalmologists,orthopaedic surgeons, dentists, andpodiatrists in order to treat and manage her patients.
In 1962, Ansell was appointed consultant clinical physician inrheumatology at Taplow. She was appointed head of Division of Rheumatology at the Clinical Research Centre atNorthwick Park Hospital in 1976. She was awarded a scholarship to study inChicago at the Research and Education Hospital as a research fellow. In 1997, Ansell was recognised with a Visiting Professorship atLeeds in 1997.[4]
"During her life she made a major contribution to the understanding of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and in developing services to treat them in the United Kingdom. Her influence was not restricted to this country, and by the time she retired from theHealth Service in 1988, she was the world leader in the care of childhood arthritis."[5]
Ansell was author of over 360 papers in adult and paediatric rheumatology and was an honorary member or fellow of over sixteen national and international societies.
Ansell died fromovarian cancer, aged 78,[6] and a memorial service was held inSouthwark Cathedral on 16 February 2002. Her husband, Angus Weston, predeceased her. They had no children.
After her death, a new science building at the Kings High School for Girls, and a street in Warwick (Ansell Way), were named in her honour.
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