Canadian Scientist: Irene Ayako Uchida
Irene was born on April’8th’ 1917 in Vancouver, Canada. She loved playing the piano, and the violin, and she also loved art and photography. When her older sister died from tuberculosis, she was inspired to
help others. After she finished high school, she went to the University of British Columbia where she studied English literature for 2 years. Then in 1946, she got a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, she was going to continue her education in order to get a Master’s degree in social work but
then one of her professors encouraged her to go into genetics. She then decided to go into the field of genetics. One of her biggest inspirations was her aunt who was the first Japanese Canadian to study genetics. In 1951, she got her doctorate in zoology and her PhD in human genetics and then worked at Sick Children Hospital as a research associate. When she was there, she studied twins and children who had Down syndrome, heart diseases and other problems. In 1959, when she worked at the University of Wisconsin, she studied human chromosomes
and tries to find out why people who had Down syndrome had an extra chromosome, therefore having 47 not 46. In 1960, she became the head director of Medical Genetics at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg and then later taught at a university.
In 1960, when she worked at the hospital she discovered that there was a link between pregnant women who got x-rays done and if their children will get Down syndrome. She found that the more x-rays a woman gets, the higher the chance that her child will be born with a defect. She also found that the father plays a role in why a child gets Down syndrome and it is because
of the father’s damaged chromosomes. It was in McMaster University Medical Center where she studied the effects of radiation on humans and mice and where she became a professor. She also started a Genetic Counselling Program in the medical center of McMaster University. When she became the Cytogenetic Laboratory director in Oshawa, she had many responsibilities like diagnosing patients with disorders because of their chromosomes or other genetic conditions. She was the first person in Canada to predict the genetic disorders people will have based on how the chromosome looks and the genes in them. She was able to look at fetuses and diagnose them with disorders in order to tell their parents. She has been awarded many awards in her lifetime such as Woman of the Year in 1963, Woman of the Century in 1967, she was named one of the 25 outstanding women internationally in 1975, Officer of the Order in Canada in 1993 and many more.
Bibliography:
· science.ca Profile : Irene Ayako Uchida. (n.d.). science.ca The Best Source for Canadian Science. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://www.science.ca/scientists/scientistprofile.php?pID=21&pg=3
· Irene Ayako Uchida - Themes - Science - Celebrating Women's Achievements - Library and Archives Canada. (n.d.). Bienvenue au site Web
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / Welcome to the Library and Archives Canada website. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/030001-1414-e.html
· The Researchers - Irene Ayako Uchida - The GEEE! in GENOME. (n.d.). Canadian Museum of Nature - Musée canadien de la nature. Retrieved June 16, 2012,
from http://nature.ca/genome/03/e/03e_40uch_e.cfm
help others. After she finished high school, she went to the University of British Columbia where she studied English literature for 2 years. Then in 1946, she got a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, she was going to continue her education in order to get a Master’s degree in social work but
then one of her professors encouraged her to go into genetics. She then decided to go into the field of genetics. One of her biggest inspirations was her aunt who was the first Japanese Canadian to study genetics. In 1951, she got her doctorate in zoology and her PhD in human genetics and then worked at Sick Children Hospital as a research associate. When she was there, she studied twins and children who had Down syndrome, heart diseases and other problems. In 1959, when she worked at the University of Wisconsin, she studied human chromosomes
and tries to find out why people who had Down syndrome had an extra chromosome, therefore having 47 not 46. In 1960, she became the head director of Medical Genetics at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg and then later taught at a university.
In 1960, when she worked at the hospital she discovered that there was a link between pregnant women who got x-rays done and if their children will get Down syndrome. She found that the more x-rays a woman gets, the higher the chance that her child will be born with a defect. She also found that the father plays a role in why a child gets Down syndrome and it is because
of the father’s damaged chromosomes. It was in McMaster University Medical Center where she studied the effects of radiation on humans and mice and where she became a professor. She also started a Genetic Counselling Program in the medical center of McMaster University. When she became the Cytogenetic Laboratory director in Oshawa, she had many responsibilities like diagnosing patients with disorders because of their chromosomes or other genetic conditions. She was the first person in Canada to predict the genetic disorders people will have based on how the chromosome looks and the genes in them. She was able to look at fetuses and diagnose them with disorders in order to tell their parents. She has been awarded many awards in her lifetime such as Woman of the Year in 1963, Woman of the Century in 1967, she was named one of the 25 outstanding women internationally in 1975, Officer of the Order in Canada in 1993 and many more.
Bibliography:
· science.ca Profile : Irene Ayako Uchida. (n.d.). science.ca The Best Source for Canadian Science. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://www.science.ca/scientists/scientistprofile.php?pID=21&pg=3
· Irene Ayako Uchida - Themes - Science - Celebrating Women's Achievements - Library and Archives Canada. (n.d.). Bienvenue au site Web
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / Welcome to the Library and Archives Canada website. Retrieved June 16, 2012, from http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/women/030001-1414-e.html
· The Researchers - Irene Ayako Uchida - The GEEE! in GENOME. (n.d.). Canadian Museum of Nature - Musée canadien de la nature. Retrieved June 16, 2012,
from http://nature.ca/genome/03/e/03e_40uch_e.cfm