Biography:Sister Regis Mary Dunne
Sister Regis Mary Dunne AO RSM (died 2020) was a Roman Catholic nun in the Sisters of Mercy and a biochemist in Australia. She was a pioneer of genetics and bioethics, with her work playing an important role in several Queensland ‘firsts’ during a time when few women worked in these fields.[1][2] On Queensland Day in 2021, Dunne was named as one of Queensland Greats by the Queensland Government.[1]
Biography
Dunne was born in Toowoomba. She attended St Saviours Catholic primary school in Toowoomba and All Hallows' Catholic secondary school in Brisbane. She trained as a teacher and taught home science, chemistry, physiology and religion at the schools she had attended.[2]
In 1946 she became a novice in the Sisters of Mercy and took her vows in 1949.[3]
In 1960, Dunne established Queensland's first cytogenetics diagnostic laboratory at Mater Hospital, resulting in earlier diagnosis of congenital abnormalities. The following year, she co-founded the first genetic counselling clinic in Australia to assist clinicians, patients and families deal with the complexities of these genetic diagnoses.[1]
In 1981, Sr Dunne became the founding director of Queensland's first Bioethics Centre, offering free access to a library of bioethical information which was used by professionals, organisations and members of the public. A pioneer in the field of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), Dunne has made a lifetime and ground-breaking contribution to global science, healthcare and ethics, inspiring many young scientists, researchers, students and healthcare professionals.[1]
Dunne died on 20 April 2020 aged 93.[3]
Awards
In 2002, Dunne was appointed a Fellow of the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.[4]
In 2007, she was awarded the Order of Australia for her work in bioethics in medical research.[5]
On Queensland Day in 2021, Dunne was posthumously named as one of Queensland Greats by the Queensland Government.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "2021 Queensland Greats recipients". Queensland Government. 27 May 2020. https://www.qld.gov.au/about/events-awards-honours/awards/qld-greats-awards/2021-queensland-greats-recipients.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "In memory of Sister Regis Mary Dunne RSM". Mater Group. 24 April 2020. http://history.mater.org.au/news/april-2020-(1)/in-memory-of-sister-regis-mary-dunne-rsm.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Vale Sister Regis Mary Dunne". https://www.hgsa.org.au/hgsanews/vale-sister-regis-mary-dunne.
- ↑ "Fellows" (in en-AU). https://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/people/fellows/.
- ↑ "In memory of Sister Regis Mary Dunne" (in en-AU). https://qei.org.au/news/in-memory-of-sister-regis-mary-dunne/.
Attribution
This Wikipedia article was originally based on material from 2021 Queensland Greats recipients, published by The State of Queensland under CC-BY-4.0, accessed on 3 July 2017.
External links
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