Stanley, Fiona (1946-…), an Australian doctor, is known for her work with diseases and disorders that affect children. Stanley has done important work in public health and epidemiology. Epidemiology is the branch of medicine dealing with the causes, distribution, and control of diseases in a community.
Stanley was born on Aug. 1, 1946, in Sydney. Her grandfather Evan Richard Stanley was a noted Australian geologist. Her father, Neville Fenton Stanley, was one of Australia’s first virologists. Fiona studied medicine and surgery at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth, graduating in 1970. She later traveled to the United Kingdom, earning a Master of Science degree in epidemiology from the University of London in 1976. After working for a time in the United Kingdom and the United States, Stanley returned to Perth in 1977. In 1978, she served as senior medical officer for the Western Australia department of health and as deputy director of the National Health and Medical Research Council unit in epidemiology and preventive medicine at UWA. She earned her M.D. degree there in 1986.
In 1990, Stanley established and served as director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. The institute conducts research on the epidemiology of many childhood diseases and developmental disorders, on Aboriginal health, and on pregnancy and maternal health. Stanley has received many awards and honors for her work. She was named Australian of the Year in 2003.
Stanley retired in 2011 but continues to work to promote child health in Australia. The Fiona Stanley Hospital in Murdoch is named in her honor.
