Dorothy Ann Malcolm Geddes

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

(8 May 1936 – 14 March 1998) was the first woman to be appointed to a professorship of dentistry in the United Kingdom.

Life

Dorothy Ann Malcolm Geddes was born in

Alloa Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; , possibly meaning "rock plain") is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where some say it ceases to ...

, Scotland on 8 May 1936. She attended

Brechin High School Brechin High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. Admissions It has approximately 660 students. The school has a relationship with the town's Brechin#Brechin Cathedral, cathedral stretching back to the ear ...

, going on to study dentistry at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, graduating in 1959. She worked for most of her career at

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

where she was Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery. Geddes' specialism was oral surgery. She was the first woman to be awarded Fellowship in Dental Surgery (FRCS) of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The RCSEd has five faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical and healthcare specialities. Its main campus is locate ...

, in 1963. She was a distinguished teacher and researcher and gained a personal chair. She was President of the Royal Odonto-Chirugical Society of Scotland, President of the West of Scotland Branch of the

British Dental Association The British Dental Association (BDA) is a registered trade union for dentists in the United Kingdom. Its stated mission is to "promote the interests of members, advance the science, arts and ethics of dentistry and improve the nation's oral h ...

, and Convener of the Dental Council.

Death and legacy

Geddes died 14 March 1998. The University of Glasgow established the Dorothy Geddes Multimedia Laboratory to promote the application of new, cutting-edge technology to the teaching of oral biology. The university also awards the Geddes Research Fellowship and medal. She is remembered as a "modest, quiet woman with a wicked sense of humour, who is remembered with universal affection and more than a little awe".

Awards and honours

, in 1995 * European Organization for Caries Research Rolex Prize, in 1998

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geddes, Dorothy 1936 births 1998 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish dentists Academics of the University of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Scottish surgeons 20th-century Scottish women medical doctors 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Women dentists Dental academics Members of the Order of the British Empire Scottish women academics 20th-century British surgeons 20th-century British dentists Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire