Diana Lennon | |
---|---|
Born | 3 October 1949 |
Died | 15 May 2018 | (aged 68)
Awards | Joan Metge Medal |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Paediatric infectious diseases, vaccination |
Institutions |
Diana Rosemary Lennon ONZM (3 October 1949 – 15 May 2018) was a New Zealand academic and paediatrician, specialising in infectious diseases, and was a full professor at the University of Auckland. [1]
Lennon graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Otago in 1972. [2] She was awarded FRACP in paediatrics in 1978. [3]
After a short research position at the University of Auckland, Lennon trained further in infectious diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1982 she returned to New Zealand as a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, with a half-time role as a specialist paediatrician at the Auckland Hospital Board.
She was promoted to associate professor in 1991, and professor of population child and youth health in 1996. [3]
Lennon was a specialist in paediatric infectious diseases at Princess Mary Hospital, Starship Hospital and Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, and provided consultant services throughout the country. [3]
Lennon's work on rheumatic fever began in the 1980s with the setting up of a rheumatic fever register for the Auckland region, which was followed by free delivery of a penicillin-based treatment to prevent resurgence. In 2006 Lennon was co-author on New Zealand's first evidence-based diagnostic and treatment guidelines for rheumatic fever. In 2017 Lennon published the results of a world-first trial showing that community interventions (sore-throat clinics in primary schools) could significantly reduce the rate of rheumatic fever in school-children. [3]
Lennon also worked on prevention of other infectious diseases in children. Her work was instrumental in the introduction of vaccine programmes for Haemophilus influenzae type b and meningococcal A and B. Her work showing that the greatest risk factor for meningococcal disease is crowding led directly to changes in how state homes are built. [1] [2]
In 1992 Lennon was named Plunket Woman of the Year. [3] Lennon was made a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 1994. [3]
In the 2005 New Year Honours, Lennon was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to science and health. [4] In 2008, the Royal Society Te Apārangi awarded her one of two inaugural Dame Joan Metge Medals for her "research as a paediatrician scientist [that] has made a major impact on the lives of New Zealand children". [5]
In 2017, Lennon was featured in the Royal Society Te Apārangi's 150 women in 150 words project, celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand. [6]
Diana Lennon | |
---|---|
Born | 3 October 1949 |
Died | 15 May 2018 | (aged 68)
Awards | Joan Metge Medal |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Paediatric infectious diseases, vaccination |
Institutions |
Diana Rosemary Lennon ONZM (3 October 1949 – 15 May 2018) was a New Zealand academic and paediatrician, specialising in infectious diseases, and was a full professor at the University of Auckland. [1]
Lennon graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Otago in 1972. [2] She was awarded FRACP in paediatrics in 1978. [3]
After a short research position at the University of Auckland, Lennon trained further in infectious diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1982 she returned to New Zealand as a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland, with a half-time role as a specialist paediatrician at the Auckland Hospital Board.
She was promoted to associate professor in 1991, and professor of population child and youth health in 1996. [3]
Lennon was a specialist in paediatric infectious diseases at Princess Mary Hospital, Starship Hospital and Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, and provided consultant services throughout the country. [3]
Lennon's work on rheumatic fever began in the 1980s with the setting up of a rheumatic fever register for the Auckland region, which was followed by free delivery of a penicillin-based treatment to prevent resurgence. In 2006 Lennon was co-author on New Zealand's first evidence-based diagnostic and treatment guidelines for rheumatic fever. In 2017 Lennon published the results of a world-first trial showing that community interventions (sore-throat clinics in primary schools) could significantly reduce the rate of rheumatic fever in school-children. [3]
Lennon also worked on prevention of other infectious diseases in children. Her work was instrumental in the introduction of vaccine programmes for Haemophilus influenzae type b and meningococcal A and B. Her work showing that the greatest risk factor for meningococcal disease is crowding led directly to changes in how state homes are built. [1] [2]
In 1992 Lennon was named Plunket Woman of the Year. [3] Lennon was made a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in 1994. [3]
In the 2005 New Year Honours, Lennon was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to science and health. [4] In 2008, the Royal Society Te Apārangi awarded her one of two inaugural Dame Joan Metge Medals for her "research as a paediatrician scientist [that] has made a major impact on the lives of New Zealand children". [5]
In 2017, Lennon was featured in the Royal Society Te Apārangi's 150 women in 150 words project, celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand. [6]