Shirley Lyford Tonkin OBE (née Curtis, 6 June 1921 – 27 January 2016) was a New Zealand paediatrican and sudden infant death syndrome researcher.
Shirley Tonkin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shirley Lyford Curtis 6 June 1921 Stratford, New Zealand |
| Died | 27 January 2016 (aged 94) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Otago |
| Known for | Sudden infant death syndrome research |
| Spouse |
John Carvossoe Stephen Tonkin
(m. 1947; died 1988) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paediatrics |
Early life and family
editBorn in Stratford on 6 June 1921,[citation needed] Tonkin was the younger daughter of Nora Bessie Curtis (née Lyford) and her husband, Leslie Ralfe Curtis.[1] She was educated at Samuel Marsden Collegiate School in Wellington from 1937 to 1938.[2] She then studied medicine at the University of Otago, graduating MB ChB in 1946.[3]
She married John Carvossoe Stephen Tonkin on 5 April 1947. The couple had two children.[1]
Medical career
editAfter a residency at New Plymouth Hospital between 1945 and 1947, Tonkin then worked in the accident and emergency department at Napier Hospital from 1947 to 1950.[citation needed] A period as a general practitioner from 1950 to 1952, was followed by study at the Institute of Child Health in London, where she completed a Diploma of Child Health.[2] Returning to New Zealand, Tonkin worked as a medical officer at the Department of Health in Auckland from 1954 to 1978.[citation needed]
Tonkin researched cot death for 30 years, and was recognised as an international expert in the field.[4] Her work resulted in the formulation of national guidelines for babies' sleeping conditions.[2] She was the founder of the New Zealand Cot Death Association in 1979, and was credited with renaming "cot death" as "sudden infant death syndrome". A child safety advocate, Tonkin was one of the three researchers who developed a foam insert for children's car seats to reduce the risk of choking to infants.[4]
Honours and awards
editIn the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours, Tonkin was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to medicine and welfare.[5]
Death
editTonkin died at her home in Auckland on 27 January 2016.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Oswald Maberley & Catherine Curtis". Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c "Shirley Tonkin (nee Curtis)". Samuel Marsden Collegiate School. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "NZ university graduates 1870–1961: T". Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Feek, Belinda (29 January 2016). "Prominent cot death researcher and paediatrician dies". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "No. 50155". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 15 June 1985. p. 2.