Mary Hepburn

OBE FRCOG
Born1949 (age 74–75)
Hackney, London
NationalityScottish
EducationUniversity of Edinburgh
Known forestablishing medical services for the care of socially disadvantaged pregnant women
Medical career
Fieldobstetrics and gynaecology

Dr Mary Hepburn OBE FRCOG (born 1949) is a Scottish obstetrician and gynaecologist who is known for her work to support socially disadvantaged women. She has been involved with the Glasgow Women's Reproductive Health Services, leading this service for 25 years and producing guidelines that have had an international impact.[1]

Early life and education

Mary Hepburn was born in 1949 in Hackney, London.[1] Her father was a general practitioner and her mother, a linguist.[1] She was raised in Walls in the west of Shetland.[1] She studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1973. She completed her training as a general practitioner in Aberdeen, and then specialised in obstetrics.[1]

Career

In 1990, she established the Glasgow Women's Reproductive Health Services to provide specialist support for pregnant women with drug and alcohol addictions, HIV, mental illness or experiencing homelessness, domestic abuse or rape.[2][3] This multi-disciplinary service grew more than tenfold in three years, going from 12 patients in its first year to more than 130 in the third year.[4] The clinic is part of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and is now known as the Special Needs in Pregnancy Service (SNIPS). As of 2016, around 300 women a year attend the clinic.[4] Hepburn led the service for more than 25 years, and the guidelines used by the clinic are an internationally recognised method for treating socially-disadvantaged pregnant women, and have been adopted worldwide.[5]

Hepburn was a senior lecturer in women's reproductive health at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.[6][7] She has also worked with the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organisation and Amnesty International, putting in place similar services and support for women around the world.[4][8]

Awards and honours

  • 2007, lifetime achievement award from the domestic violence organisation Zero Tolerance.[6]
  • 2012, named Scotswoman of the Year by the Evening Times newspaper.[9]
  • 2015, OBE in the 2015 Birthday Honours

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ellis, Maureen (13 February 2012). "Mary won't stop fighting for mums. Great Scot Dr Mary Hepburn has helped pregnant women for 30 years and she plans to go on". Evening Times. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Society must help addicted mums". The Herald. 13 February 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Celebrating success: 2012 Archive: Glasgow Doctor Wins Scotswoman of the Year". www.nhsggc.org.uk (Press release). NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Weldon, Victoria (3 October 2016). "How clinic gave birth to a maternity care model worldwide". The Herald. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  5. ↑ Naysmith, Stephen (5 April 2013). "In a class of their own". The Herald. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Glasgow's Zero hero". Times Higher Education. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "University of Glasgow - University news - Archive of news - 2007 - May - Lifetime achievement award for Dr Mary Hepburn". www.gla.ac.uk (Press release). Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Scottish Drugs Forum :: Who We Are". www.sdf.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 May 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Scotswoman of the year – 2011 winner Dr Mary Hepburn helps launch our 50th Anniversary contest". Evening Times. 15 October 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
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