Freida Ruth Heighway

Freida Ruth Heighway (1907–1963) was an Australian obstetrician and gynaecologist, the first woman to graduate from Sydney University with a medical degree and the first woman admitted to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Early life

Freida Heighway was born on 2 June 1907 to Mr and Mrs F.S. Heighway. She was an only child and grew up in Burwood, New South Wales. Heighway attended Methodist Ladies College in Burwood, graduating in 1925. She then attended the University of Sydney and graduated with a Master of Business (1930), Bachelor of Science (1930) and Doctor of Medicine (1939). She graduated MB BS with honours in 1930, and was the first woman Medicine graduate at the University of Sydney to receive the degree of Doctor of Medicine.

Career

Heighway began her medical education as a two-year Resident Medical Officer at the Royal Prince Alfred and North Shore Hospital. Later, she travelled to Manchester, England, to work as a medical resident and trained in obstetrics and gynaecology.

In 1932 Heighway moved to England and continued work as a Resident Medical Officer at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester. Upon return to Australia in 1934, Heighway then set up her own private practice in Burwood, New South Wales. She then took rooms in Macquarie Street and obtained honorary appointments at the Rachel Forster Hospital for Women and Children and The Womens Hospital, Crown Street.

In 1945, Heighway moved to Adelaide with her husband, Andrew Arthur Abbie, and three daughters and she found that the obstetrics field of medicine was dominated by men and she set up a solo specialist practice which grew rapidly. Although her work was centered around Queen Victoria's Maternity Hospital, she also cared for patients at the Royal Adelaide and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals.

Awards

• Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
• The Ruth Heighway Memorial Prize and Medal for obstetrics is awarded by the University of Adelaide in her honour