Lesley Rees, English endocrinologist and academic
Dame Lesley Howard Rees DBE (born 17 November 1942) is a British professor, medical doctor, and endocrinologist. She was Dean of St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College (Bart’s) from 1989–95, the first and only woman to hold this post. Rees led the College to a successful merger with the London Hospital Medical College as part of Queen Mary University of London in 1995. She is currently Emeritus Professor of Chemical Endocrinology at Bart's.
Rees was educated at Pate's Grammar School for Girls, Cheltenham. Rees studied at Bart’s and qualified in 1965. She went on to specialise in clinical endocrinology and was appointed Professor of Chemical Endocrinology in 1980. She also became the University of London's public orator, the first science graduate to hold this post. She has published more than 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and in 1980 delivered the Goulstonian lecture of the Royal College of Physicians.In 1984 Rees became the first woman to serve as chairman of the UK Society for Endocrinology and was awarded its Jubilee Medal in 1989. She was chair of the editorial board of the society's academic journal Clinical Endocrinology for 10 years until 2010. Rees also served as Secretary General of the International Society of Endocrinology, the first time the post was held outside the USA.
In 1983, as subdean at Bart’s, Rees "was given" the task of reforming medical education. An innovative development was the building of a Clinical Skills Laboratory for medical students, nursing and midwifery training. This was modelled on a laboratory at the University of Limburg in Maastricht which had been shown to raise the performance of clinical skills in medical students.Rees became the first Director of Education at the Royal College of Physicians in 1997. In 2001, Rees was awarded a DBE for services to medical education.She is a niece of the conductor, Sir Colin Davis.
1942Nov, 17
Lesley Rees
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Events on 1942
- 25Jan
Thailand
World War II: Thailand declares war on the United States and United Kingdom. - 8Mar
Myanmar
World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces captured Rangoon, Burma from British. - 10Jul
Soviet Union
Diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and the Soviet Union are established. - 13Aug
Manhattan Project
Major General Eugene Reybold of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorizes the construction of facilities that would house the "Development of Substitute Materials" project, better known as the Manhattan Project. - 25Sep
Holocaust
World War II: Swiss Police instruction dictates that "Under current practice ... refugees on the grounds of race alone are not political refugees", effectively denying entry to Jews trying to flee occupied Europe during the Holocaust.