Celia Mary Oakley

Celia Oakley‘s MD thesis was dedicated to the pulmonary blood volume in humans, during preparation of which she developed an interest in pulmonary hypertension, valvular heart disease and congenital heart disease.^[1]

Oakley served as house physician and house surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital and house physician to the Paul Wood cardiac unit at the Royal Brompton Hospital. She was a member of the team who coined the term "hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy" and Professor of Clinical Cardiology at Hammersmith Hospital.^[2][1][3] In 1958 there were only three female cardiologists in the UK including Oakley.^[4] In 1991, Celia Oakley was appointed as a personal chair at the Hammersmith Hospital, London.^[1]

In 1950 Celia Oakley married Ron Pridie, who was a pioneer in echocardiography and worked at Harefield Hospital, London. They had two daughters and four grandchildren.^[1] She died 17 November 2014.

• Bradshaw Lecture, 1983.^[5]
• Laennec Master Clinician award from the American Heart Association, 2004.
• Mackenzie medal of the British Cardiovascular Society for services to British cardiology, 2006.^[1]