Ruth Black
Edith Ruth Black CBE (2 June 1925 – 25 November 2017; née Blumenthal) was a New Zealand doctor specialising in family planning.[1][2]
Biography
[edit]Black was born in Austria to Siegfried and Else Blumenthal. The family moved to England when she was a young teenager and then emigrated to New Zealand, settling in Auckland, where Black attended Epsom Girls' Grammar School.[2]
Black attended the University of Auckland and the University of Otago, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948 at the age of 23. She then began studying medicince and graduated as a medical doctor in 1952 at the age of 28. Black moved back to Auckland and completed her house surgeon training at Auckland Hospital.[2]
In 1955, Black started working for the Family Planning Association (FPA) at their first clinic in Remuera, Auckland. She was a clinic doctor from 1955 to 1976 and from 1959 to 1974 was also the medical co-director of the Auckland clinics. From 1963 to 1974, Black was chair of the NZ FPA Medical Advisory Committee and a council member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) of South-East Asia and Oceania.[2]
Black died at Grace Joel Hospital aged 92, and is buried in the Hebrew area of Waikumete Cemetery.[2]
Personal life
[edit]In 1954, Black married Harry Black, who she had met while studying at Otago Medical School. They had two sons.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Edith BLACK Obituary (2017) - The New Zealand Herald". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ a b c d e f "Edith 'Ruth' Black née Blumenthal". The Early Medical Women of New Zealand. 2024-09-26. Retrieved 2024-10-18.