Anne Pomeroy Autor (January 26, 1935 – November 13, 2018) was a Canadian scientist who was a professor of biochemistry at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. She worked closely with policy makers to inform public health campaigns and was committed to improving access to medical education.

Early life and education

Autor was born in

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is a city in British Columbia, Canada, situated at the confluence of the Fraser River, Fraser and Nechako River, Nechako rivers. The city itself has a population of 76,708; the metro census agglomeration has a population of 89,490 ...

. Her father was with the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

. Her mother was a school teacher and her family were pioneers in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. Autor attended Victoria High School. At the age of thirteen, she decided to become a scientist, later studying science at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

. She moved to the

for undergraduate studies, where she majored in biochemistry. She eventually moved to

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

for her doctorate, where she studied the molecular mechanisms that underpin the actions of

streptomycin Streptomycin is an antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections, including tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium complex, ''Mycobacterium avium'' complex, endocarditis, brucellosis, Burkholderia infection, ''Burkholderia'' i ...

. Autor was a postdoctoral student at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. Her early research considered how oxygen can damage the lungs of premature babies. Autor was the only woman in her undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral courses.

Research and career

Autor started her academic career at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1972. She was the first woman lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology, and developed a faculty network to support women academics. In 1983, she left Iowa and returned to the

, where she worked alongside the hospital research groups and established a forensic pathology laboratory, and developed investigations into infant mortality. Autor's research considered biochemistry and toxicology. She studied heavy

metal toxicity Metal toxicity or metal poisoning is the toxic effect of certain metals that accumulate in the environment and damage ecosystems, plants and animals, including human health. Environmental pollution with heavy metals can result in contaminati ...

in the environment, and developed an accredited programme on toxicology in the University of British Columbia. She acted as an advisor for the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...

, where she aided the government on the management of toxic substances. In 2000, Autor retired from the University of British Columbia. She served as an adjunct professor in the

Al Ain University Al Ain University (AAU) (), is a private university in the United Arab Emirates with two campuses: one in Al Ain, and the other in Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi ...

, and eventually made Professor and Vice Chair in Biomdeical Sciences at the

Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) is a private hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Established in 1985, it is the primary teaching hospital of the Aga Khan University's (AKU) Faculty of Health Sciences. The hospital provides secondary and tert ...

where she developed a medical education programme that included the humanities alongside technical scientific content.

Personal life

Autor had two sons, both of whom became attorneys. In 1998, Autor and

Beverley McLachlin Beverley Marian McLachlin (born September 7, 1943) is a Canadian jurist and author who served as the 17th chief justice of Canada from 2000 to 2017. She is the longest-serving chief justice in Canadian history and the first woman to hold the ...

were the first women to serve on the Vancouver Round Table. Autor died on November 13, 2018, from complications caused by

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Autor, Anne Pomeroy 1935 births 2018 deaths People from Prince George, British Columbia Duke University alumni University of British Columbia alumni Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Canadian biochemists Canadian women scientists