Dagmar Berne,
photo, University of Sydney Archives 

Dagmar Berne in 1890,
photo G3_224_1629,
University of Sydney Archives 

Iza Coghlan graduated MB ChM in 1893,
one of the first two women Medical
graduates, photo courtesy of State
Records NSW,
Digital ID: 9873_a025_a025000047.
She became the first Sydney
graduate to establish private practice
in her home city.

Grace Robinson (later Boelke)
also graduated MB ChM in 1893, 
photo, courtesy of State
Records NSW,
Digital ID: 9873_a025_a025000049.
While Coghlan had started a year
earlier, Robinson had completed
the course without failing in any year. 
She was nominated for a position at
the Hospital for Sick Children but,
despite excellent references, her
application was rejected:
the objection was 'not against [Dr
Robinson] as an individual but
against the female doctor
in the abstract'. 

Lucy Gullett graduated MB ChM in
1900, from photo G3_224_2659,
University of Sydney Archives.
She was the first female resident
Medical Officer at the Women's
Hospital in Crown Street. She
co-founded the New Hospital
(later the Rachel Forster Hospital
for Women and Children)
in 1922 in Redfern. 

Eleanor Bourne, the first Queensland
woman to study medicine, graduated
MB ChM from the University of Sydney
in 1903. Despite a severe attack of
typhoid fever during the course,
she won honour passes in four of
the annual examinations, photo,
The Queenslander, 2 January 1897,
National Library of Australia. She was the
first woman resident at Brisbane General
Hospital and Queensland's first medical
inspector of Schools, & became assistant
medical officer to the city of Carlisle, UK.

Constance D'Arcy graduated MB ChM
Hons II in 1904, photo, Sydney Medical
School Senior Yearbook, 1933. As neither
Sydney teaching hospitals would accept
a woman, she did her residency at the
(Royal) Adelaide Hospital, then
became resident medical officer at the
Royal Hospital for Women, Paddington.
She was a co-founder of the New Hospital
(later the Rachel Forster Hospital for
Women & Children) in 1922 in Redfern.
From 1919 to 1949 she represented the 
graduates on the University Senate, |
the first woman to be elected, and was
Deputy Chancellor from 1943 to 1946,
also the first woman so elected. 

Margaret Harper graduated MB ChM
in 1906, photo G3_224_1365,
University of Sydney Archives.
She was the first Lecturer in
Diseases of the Newborn at
the University, Medical Director of
the Tresillian Mothercraft Centres,
a Foundation Fellow of the
Royal Australasian College of
Physicians, and a co-founder of the
New Hospital (later the Rachel
Forster Hospital for Women and
Children) in 1922 in Redfern.

Jessie Aspinall graduated MB ChM in
1906, photo, Centenary Book of
the University of Sydney
Faculty of Medicine.
She was appointed that year as
the first female junior medical
resident officer at Royal Prince
Alfred Hospital. The Conjoint Board,
however, refused confirmation and
it was only after much agitation
that the Board resolved that
'Dr Aspinall be appointed for
this year, but that her appointment
is not to be taken as a precedent'.

Mary Burfitt (later Williams)
graduated MB BS with First Class
Honours in 1909, photo, A Slice of
Life. Dr Williams became resident
medical officer at Royal Prince Alfred
Hospital, where an unsuccessful
attempt was made to curtail her
treatment of males. She became
the first woman senior resident
at RPAH.

Elsie Dalyell also graduated
MB BS with First Class
Honours in 1909
photo courtesy of State
Records NSW, Digital ID:
9873_a025_a025000062.
She became the first woman to
be appointed to the full-time
academic staff of the Faculty of
Medicine at Sydney University
(as Demonstrator in Pathology).

Elizabeth Hamilton-Browne 
was the third of the first three
women Medical graduates with
First Class Honours, in 1909,
photo, A Slice of Life. She was one
of the first women house surgeons
appointed to Sydney Hospital.
Because the Australian Army
would not take women doctors
when war broke out in 1914, she
went to Britain as a ship's doctor 
& joined the British Army,
serving in the General Hospital
in Alexandria. She later worked
in India & Pakistan & was awarded
the MBE for services to the
medical profession.

Dr Ruth Heighway (MB BS 1930)
was the first woman to gain the
Doctor of Medicine, in 1939,
photo, 1930 Senior Yearbook,
Sydney Medical School.

 Grace Warren AM graduated MB BS
in 1954, photo, 1953 Senior
Yearbook, Sydney Medical School.
Though she was drawn to surgery
as a student, she trained in
obstetrics as women were unable to
study surgery formally in the '50s. In
Korea she developed a passionate
interest in the treatment of sufferers
of leprosy and became a permanent
staff member at the Hay Ling Chau
Leprosy Hospital in Hong Kong.
She taught throughout Asia
on behalf of Leprosy Mission
Australia until her return to Australia
in 1989, when she applied her 
knowledge to the treatment of
diabetic patients ... more.

Marie Bashir AC CVO graduated
MB BS in 1956, photo, 1957 Senior
Yearbook, Sydney Medical School.
She taught at the Universities of
Sydney and NSW, increasingly
working with children's services,
psychiatry and mental health
services, & indigenous health
programs. She became the
first woman to be appointed
Governor of NSW, in 2001, and
was Chancellor of the University
from 2007 to 2012.

Yvonne Cossart graduated
BSc(Medicine) with honours in 1957
and MB BS with honours in 1959,
photo, 1956 Senior Yearbook,
Sydney Medical School.
A virologist, in 1975 she discovered
the ‘B19’ virus, which is known to be
the cause of Fifth Disease in
children as well as being a cause of
aplastic anaemia, hydrops fetalis
and acute arthritis.

Ann Jervie (later Sefton)
graduated BSc(Med) in 1957 and
MB BS with honours in 1960,
photo, 1960 Senior Yearboook,
Sydney Medical School. She
graduated PhD in Physiology
in 1966 and DSc in 1990. She was
a lecturer in physiology at the
University 1965-73, becoming
Professor in 1992. In 2000 she
was awarded an AO for service to
medical education & to physiology
& research in the field of
neuroscience. Emeritus Professor
Sefton was a Fellow of Senate 
2001-9, Deputy-Chancellor 
2004-8 & in 2013 will become an
Honorary Fellow of the University.

Diana Horvath graduated MB BS
with Honours in 1968,
photo, 1967 Senior Yearbook,
Sydney Medical School.
Professor Horvath was: the first
Community Physician at Mt Druitt
Centre & established the
Community Nursing Program in
all schools; the first to work as
administrator of a
Clinical Division within King
George V Hospital, later rising
to General Superintendent,
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital;
the first female Chairperson of
the NHMRC; & Chief Executive of
the Sydney South Western Area
Health Service.  

Susan Dorsch (MB BS 1958)
 graduated PhD in Medicine in 
1975. Susan Dorsch, a
pathologist, was the first
female Professor in the
Faculty of Medicine,  in 1983,
photo G77_2_0391 dated 1986,
University of Sydney Archives.

Ella Stack (MB BS 1956)
(photo, 1955 Senior Yearbook,
Sydney Medical School)
graduated Master of Public 
Health in 1981. She spent
her early career as a
General Practitioner in
Darwin, becoming the first
Lord Mayor of
Darwin in 1979. After her
retirement from full-time
practice & Council duties,
she was the Assistant
Secretary of the Division of
Aboriginal Health, Northern
Territory & Secretary of the
Department of Health
of the Northern Terrritory.

 Enid Gilbert (later Gilbert-
Barness) (MB BS 1950)
gained a Doctor of Medicine
in 1983. In 1999
Dr Gilbert-Barness,
Professor of Pathology &
Paediatrics at the University
of South Florida, was awarded
the honorary degree of
Doctor of Medicine by Sydney
University, photo, Tracey
Schramm, 'The University of
Sydney News',
4 November 1999.

Wirginia Maixner 
graduated MB BS in
1986. A neurosurgeon,
she received the
University's 2011 Alumni
Award for Professional
Achievement,
photo, Alumni and
Friends website 

Professor Elizabeth Elliott
(MB BS 1980, MD 1992, MPhilPHlth 2009),
Head of the Australian Paediatric
Surveillance Unit at the Kids Research
Institute at the Children's Hospital
at Westmead, was recognised with a
100 Women of Influence Award by
The Australian Financial Review and
Westpac in October 2012,
photo, Faculty news website.