Health / Trailblazing Shetlander featured in exhibition celebrating medical pioneers
A SHETLANDER is at the heart of a new exhibition highlighting the remarkable people who have shaped Edinburgh’s rich medical history over the years.
Dr Mary Hepburn, who originally hails from the isles, is one of the trailblazing faces featured in the Faces of Edinburgh Medical School exhibition.
A retired obstetrician and gynaecologist, Hepburn is known for dedicating her career to supporting the care of disadvantaged women in Glasgow.
She established the pioneering Glasgow Women’s Reproductive Health Service in 1990, and for 25 years led the service as it provided specialist support for women.
This including community clinics for addictions, HIV infection, mental illness, domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Her expertise has helped many organisations, including the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, to develop and improve reproductive healthcare all over the world.
Hepburn is one of around 65 people who feature in the project, all of whom are selected for their lasting impact on the University of Edinburgh’s medical school – where she graduated in 1973.
She said that many of the women under her care lived with addictions or had difficult lives.
“Having compassion for people in their own circumstances, but not condoning their choices, helped me to support them,” Hepburn said.
“They confirmed non-judgemental care was the most important factor and taught me that the best health care comes from truly listening to what people need rather than assuming we already know.”
The large, open-air photography exhibition has been unveiled at this year’s Edinburgh Science Festival.
Around 300 people are being honoured as part of the wider project, but Hepburn is one of just 65 selected to be featured prominently in the exhibition.
It is part of a year-long programme of events and community projects taking place to mark 300 years of medical education at the University of Edinburgh.
Faces of Edinburgh Medical School is free and will be on display from Friday 20 March to Sunday 26 April at Edinburgh Mound Precinct, before moving to Portobello Promenade from Wednesday 29 April to Sunday 14 June.
Established in 1726, Edinburgh Medical School is one of the oldest medical schools in the world.
Historic alumni include Joseph Lister, the founder of antiseptic medicine, and Elsie Inglis, the founder of the Scottish Women’s Suffrage Federation and Scottish Women’s Hospitals.
The world’s first and still one of Europe’s biggest, Edinburgh Science Festival will take place across the city from 4 to 19 April and will include more than 100 events aimed at inspiring people of all ages to get hands-on with science.
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