Women in STEM | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Displaying 16-30 of 60 results
  • Article

    Elizabeth Smith-Shortt

    Elizabeth Smith-Shortt, née Smith, physician, feminist (b at Winona, Canada W 18 Jan 1859; d at Ottawa 14 Jan 1949). She belonged to the prosperous LOYALIST family that founded the E.D. Smith preserves company.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Elizabeth Smith-Shortt
  • Article

    Emily Stowe

    Emily Howard Jennings Stowe, physician, teacher, school principal, suffragist (born 1 May 1831 in Norwich, Ontario; died 30 April 1903 in Toronto, Ontario). Stowe was a founder of the Canadian Women’s Suffrage Association. She is considered to be the first female physician to publicly practise medicine in Ontario. She was also the first female principal of a public school in Ontario. 

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/8a8d555a-21e7-4fc0-8a79-a477a48a1aa3.jpg Emily Stowe
  • Article

    Ethlyn Trapp

    Ethlyn Trapp, physican, researcher (b at New Westminster, BC 18 Jul 1891; d at West Vancouver 31 Jul 1972). Ethlyn Trapp was the fourth of eight children of Thomas John Trapp and Nell Dockrill.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Ethlyn Trapp
  • Article

    Felicitas Svejda

    Felicitas Svejda, rose breeder, civil servant, geneticist (born 8 November 1920 in Vienna, Austria; died 19 January 2016 in Ottawa, Ontario). Svejda was one of the most successful rose hybridizers in Canada. She led the rose breeding program at the Department of Agriculture's Central Experimental Farm, where she developed a series of roses that could withstand Canadian winters. The roses, named after explorers in Canadian history, are grown across Canada and other cold-climate countries.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/FelicitasSvjeda/Rosa_A._Mackenzie.jpg Felicitas Svejda
  • Article

    Flordeliz Osler

    Flordeliz (a.k.a. Gigi) Osler (née Sharma), FRCSC, senator, physician and educator (born 1968 in Winnipeg, MB). Dr. Osler is an Otolaryngology – Head and Neck surgeon (ENT) surgeon and has practiced in Winnipeg since 1998. She was the past president of the Canadian Medical Association, making her the first female surgeon and the first woman of colour to assume the role. Osler was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 2022, making her the second senator of Filipino descent and the first woman of Filipino heritage to sit in the Senate.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/flordelizosler/fosler.jpg Flordeliz Osler
  • Article

    Frances Oldham Kelsey

    ​Frances Oldham Kelsey, CM, pharmacologist (born 24 July 1914 in Cobble Hill, BC; died 7 August 2015 in London, ON). As an employee of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Kelsey blocked the sale of thalidomide in the United States. The drug, which had been widely prescribed in Europe and Canada, was later shown to cause severe birth defects in children whose mothers had taken the drug while pregnant. In recognition of her “exceptional judgment” and determination, Kelsey received the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. Kelsey and her work have been widely lauded in the United States but are less known in Canada. She was made a Member of the Order of Canada shortly before her death.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/!feature-img-thumbnails/Frances-Oldham-Kelsey-tweet.jpg Frances Oldham Kelsey
  • Article

    Georgina Fane Pope

    Cecily Jane Georgina Fane Pope, nurse (born 1 January 1862 in Charlottetown, PE; died 6 June 1938 in Charlottetown, PE).

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/Georgie Fane Pope (2).jpg Georgina Fane Pope
  • Article

    Gloria Baylis

    Gloria Leon Baylis (née Clarke), registered nurse, civil rights activist, founder and owner of Baylis Medical Company (born 29 June 1929 in Barbados, died 12 April 2017 in Montreal, QC). Baylis, a British-trained Caribbean migrant nurse was the key witness in Her Majesty the Queen, Complainant v. Hilton of Canada Ltd., Accused. (See also Caribbean Canadians.) On 2 September 1964, one day following the introduction of the Act Respecting Discrimination in Employment in Quebec, Baylis inquired about a permanent part-time nursing position at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel (QEH), which was operated by Hilton of Canada. Baylis was told that the position had already been filled. With the support of the Negro Citizenship Association (NCA), Baylis filed a complaint. On 4 October 1965, the court found that Hilton of Canada had violated the Act. For 11 years, Hilton of Canada appealed the ruling. On 19 January 1977, the Court of Appeal of Quebec upheld the initial conviction, a fine of $25 and related costs. This case is significant because it is the first time in Canadian history that an institution had been found guilty of racial discrimination in employment. (See also Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada.)

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/gloriabaylis/gloriabaylis.jpg Gloria Baylis
  • Article

    Helen Griffith Wylie Watson

    Helen Griffith Wylie Watson, née McArthur, nursing administrator (b at Stettler, Alta 11 July 1911; d at Guelph, Ont 15 Dec 1974). A graduate of U of A, Watson received her first practical experience as a public-health nurse at an isolated settlement in the Peace River country during the Depression.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Helen Griffith Wylie Watson
  • Article

    Helen Irene Battle

    Helen Irene Battle, zoologist, educator (b at London, Ont 31 Aug 1903; d there 17 Jun 1994). A pioneering Canadian zoologist and much-loved teacher, she was emeritus professor of zoology at the University of Western Ontario from 1972.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Helen Irene Battle
  • Article

    Helen Sawyer Hogg

    Helen Battles Sawyer Hogg (née Sawyer), CC, astronomer and educator (born 1 August 1905 in Lowell, Massachusetts; died 28 January 1993 in Toronto, ON). Recognized internationally for her research on globular star clusters, Helen Sawyer Hogg significantly advanced astronomers’ understanding of the location and age of stars as well as the origins and evolution of our galaxy, the Milky Way. She also contributed greatly to the Canadian public’s understanding of astronomy and inspired women to enter scientific professions.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/d6f088eb-b5a2-48d4-b2bc-f6c20411050d.jpg Helen Sawyer Hogg
  • 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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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/IreneUchida/uchida01.jpg Irene Uchida
  • 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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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/7fdaebf0-3dc9-4958-9417-10d409785386.jpg Irma LeVasseur
  • Article

    Moira Dunbar

    Isobel Moira Dunbar, OC, FRSC, public servant, ice research scientist (born 3 February 1918 in Edinburgh, Scotland; died 22 November 1999 in Ottawa, ON).

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/6bd44bcf-a159-40c3-81f6-cdefdb8726c4.jpg Moira Dunbar
  • 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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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/112cf72f-b464-49cc-bec7-d31c87f6134e.JPG Jean Chamberlain Froese