Dr Catherine Chisholm was a medic, feminist and pioneer. Born in nearby Radcliffe, she was the first woman to graduate from Manchester Medical School in 1904 and went on to work in maternity and children’s hospitals throughout her career.
Driven by her passion for paediatric medicine, she gathered activists and civic leaders to raise support for the Duchess of York Hospital for Babies, which she founded in 1936.
Supporting young female doctors coming into the profession, Chisholm helped establish the Medical Women’s Federation (1917) and the Manchester Paediatrics Society (1948). She was also the first female president of the British Paediatric Society.
Chisholm is considered the founder of modern neonatology and received a CBE for her work in paediatrics.
