Dr Helen Caldicott (b. 1938), physician and activist, graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1961 and undertook a fellowship at the Harvard Medical School from 1966. Back in Adelaide, she worked at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Adelaide Children's Hospital before returning to Massachusetts. From 1977 to 1986 she was an instructor in paediatrics at the Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston and lectured in paediatrics at Harvard. Meanwhile, she'd become a committed campaigner in the anti-nuclear cause, addressing conferences and gatherings on the dangers of radiation and encouraging legal action against France over its nuclear testing in the Pacific. Her work to educate Australian trade unions about uranium led to a three-year ban on the mining and export of the mineral. The founder of Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament and the Helen Caldicott Foundation for a Nuclear Free Future, Caldicott co-founded Physicians for Social Responsibility, which shared the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Her many honours include the 1992 Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award, conferred by the John F Kennedy Presidential Library.
Gift of Dr Helen Caldicott 2022
© Leeanne Crisp
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