UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 23 JANUARY 2015
A key player in the establishment of the world-leading Centre for Defence Medicine at Birmingham’s new Queen Elizabeth Hospital, will receive an award from Birmingham City University next week.
German born Gisela Stuart, became the first Labour Party Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston and will receive an Honorary Doctorate in recognition for her outstanding support for health services in Birmingham.
In Tony Blair’s government she served as a Health Minister, with special responsibility for emergency medicine and NHS Direct. She identifies her most significant achievement as working with colleagues to facilitate the building of Birmingham’s new Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as well as the establishment of the Centre for Defence Medicine, which allows injured soldiers to come to Birmingham where they receive treatment and continued support of a service that isn’t available anywhere else in the country.
Ms Stuart continued a proud tradition of women MPs in the constituency when she was elected in 1997. Since 1953 Edgbaston has been represented by a woman, no other constituency has such a long unbroken record.
Gisela was born in Germany and came to the UK in 1974. She worked in the book and publishing industry, and was instrumental in setting up the London Book Fair in the early 1980s. When her children were young she translated books before starting a Law degree as an external student at London University. She taught law in Worcester and had started a PhD by research in Trust Law at the University of Birmingham when she became the local MP.
In 2002 she represented National Parliaments in the Convention of the Future of Europe. For the last ten years she has served on the Foreign Affairs as well as the Defence Select Committee. She also edits the political weekly magazine “The House”.
Gisela will receive her award at the ceremony that will see students from the University’s Faculty of Health graduate.