Anne Ferguson (26 July 1941 – 21 December 1998) was a Scottish physician,

clinical researcher Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

and expert in

inflammatory bowel disease Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammation, inflammatory conditions of the colon (anatomy), colon and small intestine, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine a ...

. She was considered one of the most distinguished

gastroenterologists Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, ...

in Britain.

Early life and education

Anne Glen was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in 1941. Her parents were Monica and John Glen. She was educated at Notre Dame High School and the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, graduating with a first class honours

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

in 1961, followed in 1964 with a

MB ChB Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

with honours. She won the Brunton Medal for the most distinguished graduate in medicine at the University.

Career and research

In 1969, after completing her medical training, she became a lecturer at the Department of Bacteriology and Immunology in Glasgow's

Western Infirmary The Western Infirmary was a teaching hospital situated in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland, that was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It was opened in 1874 and closed in 2015. History After the University of Glasgow moved from the city ...

teaching hospital. While working at the hospital she carried out research on the role of intra-epithelial lymphocytes in intestinal immunity, receiving her PhD in 1974. In 1975, she was appointed as a senior lecturer at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, also becoming a consultant at the Gastrointestinal Unit at the

Western General Hospital The Western General Hospital (often abbreviated to simply ‘The Western General’) is a health facility at Craigleith, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is managed by NHS Lothian. History The hospital was designed by Peddie and Kinnear and opened as ...

in Edinburgh. In 1987 she was appointed to a personal professorship in gastroenterology. From 1991 to 1994 she was head of the Department of Medicine at the University. She published more than 250 papers in peer-reviewed academic journals, published three books and contributed chapters to many other books. Her research provided new insights into the mechanisms responsible for

Crohn's Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension, ...

and coeliac diseases which led to significant advances in the therapy of these conditions. She also carried out significant research on oral tolerance. She served on the

Committee on Safety of Medicines The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) was an independent advisory committee that advised the UK Licensing Authority on the quality, efficacy, and safety of medicines. Following the thalidomide tragedy of 1957 to 1961, in 1963 the government ...

, the Medical Research Council Gene Therapy Advisory Board, and the

Spongiform Encephalopathy Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of progressive and fatal conditions that are associated with prions and affect the brain and nervous system of many animals, including humans, cattle, and sheep. According to the most ...

Advisory Committee. At the time of her death she was president of the Society for Mucosal Immunology. She was a consultant providing advice and training to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh.

Awards and honours

* Brunton Medal * 1979, Sir Francis Avery Jones research medal of the

British Society of Gastroenterology The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) is a British professional organisation of gastroenterologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, scientists, nurses, dietitians and others amongst its members, which number over 3,000. It was founde ...

, the highest research award that the national gastroenterology body confers on its researchers. * Fellowships: :* Royal Colleges of Physicians of

(1975) :*

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(1977) :*

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

(1981) :*

Royal College of Pathologists The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation. Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...

(1984) :*

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(1990) The Anne Ferguson building at the

, Edinburgh, is named after her.

Personal life

In 1966, she married John Ferguson, a sociology lecturer at the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

, and together they adopted two children, a girl and a boy. John Ferguson died of cancer in 1989. She married Professor Gerald Collee, Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of Edinburgh in 1995. In her youth, Ferguson represented the University of Glasgow in athletics as a

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

. She was also on the Scottish women's basketball team. She enjoyed hill walking and mountaineering, and once visited the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

with her first husband. Ferguson died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

in Edinburgh on 21 December 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Anne 1941 births 1998 deaths Academics from Glasgow Alumni of the University of Glasgow 20th-century Scottish medical doctors Clinical research Academics of the University of Edinburgh British gastroenterologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal College of Pathologists 20th-century British women medical doctors Scottish women academics 20th-century surgeons 20th-century Scottish women medical doctors Medical doctors from Glasgow