Anastasia Katherine Donald ( Courtice; 7 April 1966 – 1 February 2009), known as Anna Donald, was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

pioneer in the field of

evidence-based medicine Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available exte ...

as well as an

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases. It is a cornerstone ...

and

company director A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

Early life and early education

Donald was the child of biologist Tony Courtice and Janet Donald ( Hales). Her maternal grandmother was reportedly of Chinese descent. When Donald was 2, her parents separated. Following her parents' separation, she and her mother lived with Donald's maternal grandparents for a year. Later, Donald's mother divorced Courtice and married lawyer Bruce Donald, with whom she would rear Anna, who took her surrogate father's surname (Donald). She undertook her secondary education at

North Sydney Girls High School North Sydney Girls' High School (abbreviated as NSGHS, more commonly known as NSG) is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for girls, located in Crows Nest, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Esta ...

and

Narrabundah College Narrabundah College is a government college that teaches the last two years of secondary education in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It was the first school in Australia to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB), starting the progr ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. During this time, she distinguished herself from her peers by winning state and national prizes in mathematics and French. Further, she represented Australia in the

International Mathematical Olympiad The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is a mathematical olympiad for pre-university students, and is the oldest of the International Science Olympiads. It is widely regarded as the most prestigious mathematical competition in the wor ...

. However, her education at North Sydney Girls was not without issue. In 1981, after Bruce Donald and Janet separated, Donald experienced emotional symptoms and developed

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Individuals wit ...

. In Year 10, she attended school in France for several months. Depressed and disenchanted with her old school when she returned to Australia, she transferred to Narrabundah College in Canberra, where she completed Years 11 and 12.

Tertiary education and training

After completing Year 12 at Narrabundah College, she gained entrance to the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

in 1985, where she resided in

Wesley College, University of Sydney Wesley College is a co-residential college of 265 students within the University of Sydney. The college occupies a site on the main campus of the University of Sydney and was built on a sub-grant of Crown land. Wesley is one of six on-campus co ...

and

the Women's College, University of Sydney The Women's College is a residential college within the University of Sydney, in the suburb of Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was opened in 1892. The Women's College is one of two all-female residential colleges at The Uni ...

and earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

, majoring in History and Pre-Clinical Medical Studies, in 1989. During her collegiate education, Donald won the

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period ...

Prize for a collection of short stories. She also presided over the 1988

World Universities Debating Championship The World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC) is the world's largest international debating tournament and one of the largest annual international student events. WUDC is held in the British Parliamentary format (involving four teams of t ...

held in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, at which she met her future husband, Michael Roland Hall, a member of the winning debating team from the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. Donald was elected to the University Senate (1989), President of the

University of Sydney Union The University of Sydney Union (USU) is Australia's largest independent student-led member organisation located at University of Sydney in Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia. The current iteration of USU formed in 1972, as an amalgamation ...

(1987–88), and Honorary Treasurer of the University of Sydney Union (1986–87) during this time. Donald later won the 1989

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

for

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, becoming the second woman from the state to win the award. Donald's paternal grandfather was also a recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship in the 1930s. Donald attended the

in as a member of

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

, where she read for a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (B.M.B.Ch.) degree. After her medical studies, Donald interned in Oxford and did residencies in other parts of

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. Following her residencies, Donald attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, during which time she was sponsored by a Menzies Scholarship, a Kennedy Fellowship, and a Caltex Award and where she earned a Master's in Public Policy (M.P.P.).

Career

Donald worked as a doctor and lecturer in epidemiology and public policy at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, and on the

Whitehall Study The Whitehall Studies investigated social determinants of health, specifically the cardiovascular disease prevalence and mortality rates among British civil servants. The initial prospective cohort study, the Whitehall I Study, examined over 17,5 ...

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

. Donald was a founding editor of the British Medical Journal's ''Clinical Evidence'', the ''Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare'' and ''Evidence Based Health Policy''; and the author or co-author of ''The Hands-on Guide for Junior Doctors'' and ''House Officers Guide To Survival''.

Personal life

In 2003, while living in the United Kingdom, Donald was reunited with Michael Hall, who had become a lawyer. They married in 2005 in

St. James Church, Sydney St James' Church, commonly known as St James', King Street, is an Australian heritage-listed Anglican parish church located at 173 King Street, in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales. Consecrated in February 1824 and named ...

. On 27 February 2007, Donald was diagnosed with

metastatic Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spreading from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, ...

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

. She and her husband returned to Sydney. In April 2008, she began writing a blog for the online version of the ''

British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a fortnightly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world ...

''. Called ''From the Other Side'', it chronicled her living with cancer. Her last post was on 22 December 2008. Donald died on 1 February 2009, aged 42, at Mater Hospital in Crows Nest, a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney.

Sources

Correction by Smith and Gray above

A summer party at Anna Donald's

Anna Donald obituary

References

External links

*
"From the other side" - ''BMJ Group Blogs''
Anna's blog for the ''British Medical Journal'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Donald, Anna 1966 births 2009 deaths Academics of University College London Australian women scientists Australian public health doctors Australian people of Chinese descent Australian people of English descent Australian Rhodes Scholars Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Deaths from breast cancer in Australia Harvard Kennedy School alumni Medical journal editors People educated at North Sydney Girls High School University of Sydney alumni Women epidemiologists Australian women public health doctors