Joyce Baird

Joyce Baird (1929 – 2014) was a Scottish diabetes clinical and academic researcher, internationally cited for her work in both laboratory and clinical settings. Baird created the Metabolic Unit at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh and established a model of patient care that allowed those with endocrine disorders to monitor and treat themselves without supervision, and was organised in 'family friendly' hours. was also a doctor, and champion of women's health, and the first woman to chair a regional health board, and was the BBC's National Governor for Scotland. Baird had a sister Maureen was involved in medical research including developing the 'morning after' pill for treating women as an 'emergency contraceptive', the other brother, D. Euan Baird, S.O.B., became CEO and Chairman of the Board of Schlumberger, a global oil exploration and scientific conglomerate until 2003.

Baird was educated at St. Margaret's School, Aberdeen and St. Leonards in St Andrews. At 16, she went to Aberdeen University to study English, moral philosophy, psychology and economic history and winning subject prizes and graduated from Aberdeen University (MA 1949). Baird captained the Scottish University women's hockey team. Baird also collaborated closely with Anne Cooke, a leading immunologist working on animal models of disease and treatment, based in Cambridge. and more flexible working between disciplines. Baird worked in the medical profession when both academic research and clinical work was 'dominated by men' and she was 'determinedly continuing to work full-time whilst juggling motherhood'.

Baird was respected for 'having a clear vision' and as ' a clinician who really cared about her patients and also researching treatment and prevention of disease'. Baird was considered a 'smart clever and a phenomenal mentor', have made to medicine, especially for women, in Scotland and beyond.