Dear SMHS Community,
It is with great sorrow that I report the passing of M. Elizabeth “Lee” Tidball, Ph.D. A champion for educational opportunities for women, Dr. Tidball and her work towards establishing a more equitable and humane society will be remembered by those at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), and outside our school, for many years to come.
Dr. Tidball, known as “Lee,” joined the SMHS Department of Physiology in 1960. She remained an active researcher and faculty member until her retirement more than 30 years later. Following her retirement in 1994, Dr. Tidball was granted the status of Professor Emerita of Physiology. The first woman to be appointed professor of physiology at SMHS, she was widely known as an advocate for women in academia and the sciences.
Dr. Tidball was the author of a 1970 study showing that graduates of women’s colleges are two to three times as likely as female graduates of coeducational institutions to be recognized for their professional accomplishments. She also documented that the success of female graduates from all types of institutions is significantly correlated with the number of female faculty members available as role models. At SMHS, she was a mentor to many students, doing her part to ensure they had every available opportunity to succeed.
In 1999, Dr. Tidball was awarded the President's Medal, the highest honor offered at the George Washington University. The medal is bestowed by the president of the university to recognize individuals who have exhibited courage, character, and leadership in their chosen fields and who exemplify the ability of all human beings to improve the lives of others. Dr. Tidball certainly met this description.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dr. Tidball’s husband and partner of more than 60 years, GW Professor Emeritus of Computer Medicine and of Neurological Surgery Charles S. Tidball, M.D., Ph.D., her brother James Henry Peters, and to the entire Tidball family.
A Choral Evensong will be sung in her memory at the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 5:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Dr. Tidball can be made to:
The Cathedral Choral Society
3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20016-5098
Warmest regards,
Jeffrey S. Akman, M.D. ’81, RESD ’85
Walter A. Bloedorn Professor of Administrative Medicine
Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
