VICDOC Autumn 2025 - Magazine - Page 37
D I P P I NG I N TO T H E A RC H I VES
D
ame Joyce holds a distinguished place
in medical history. In 1975, she became
the first woman to be elected President
of the Victorian branch of the AMA. In this
role, she was a formidable advocate for the
advancement of medical practice and the
welfare of doctors and patients alike.
That same year, her outstanding
achievements were further recognised when
she was created Dame Commander of the
British Empire (DBE).
Born in Hounslow, England in 1925,
Dame Joyce was educated at the Royal
School for Naval and Marine Officers’
Daughters. She won a scholarship to
Cambridge University where she specialised
in classics.
During the Second World War, Dame
Joyce (who was then ‘just’ Joyce, of course)
enrolled at the Royal Free Hospital School
of Medicine in London and graduated
MBBS in 1949. She was awarded a
postgraduate scholarship in surgery in
1952, the same year she passed fellowship
examinations for the Royal College
of Surgeons.
Dame Joyce worked at the Royal Free
Hospital in London until 1956, when
Lorna Sisely visited the hospital in search
of women surgeons to join the Queen
Victoria Memorial Hospital in Melbourne.
She was offered a position as a resident and
migrated to Australia that same year.
1956 is the same year the Queen Vic
appointed its first three male doctors, but
it was firmly female dominated. Dame
Joyce became part of a circle of remarkable
women doctors, including Dame Kate
Campbell and Dame Ella MacKnight.
She went on to specialise in thoracic
surgery and earned great recognition as an
expert in her chosen field, with positions
at the Queen Vic, Prince Henry's Hospital
and the Alfred Hospital.
Dame Joyce played a pivotal role in
advancing the role of women in medicine
through her chairmanship of the Victorian
Medical Women’s Society in 1974. She
was a member of the Victorian Nursing
Council from 1974-2007, and Chair from
1983-1989. She was President of the
Cancer Institute of Victoria and a Board
member from 1978-1980.
Dame Joyce was also a member of the
Victorian Medical Benevolent Association,
which demonstrates her keen personal
interest in the welfare of doctors and
their families.
Dame Joyce played a pivotal role in
advancing the role of women in medicine
through her chairmanship of the Victorian
Medical Women’s Society in 1974.
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