Dorothy Ann Malcolm Geddes

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

FRCS (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, 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, and real listically 4 staff. The school has a relationship with the town's cathedral stretching back to the ea ...

, going on to study dentistry 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 ...

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

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 , ...

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 College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located on ...

, 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 he ...

, 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 Members of the Order of the British Empire Scottish women academics 20th-century surgeons 20th-century dentists