Vera Peters
| Mildred Vera Peters | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 28, 1911 Rexdale, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Institutions | Toronto General Hospital, Princess Margaret Hospital |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Spouse | Ken Lobb |
Mildred Vera Peters (28 April 1911 – 1 October 1993) was a Canadian oncologist and clinical investigator.
Peters received her medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1934.[1] In 1950 she published a landmark paper demonstrating for the first time that many patients with early Hodgkin's disease, then considered incurable, could be completely cured if given high-dose radiation.[2] She later went on to study the use of radiation therapy in the treatment of breast cancer.[3] Her research demonstrated that breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) followed by radiation was just as effective as radical mastectomy which had a significant impact on the lives of the many women who experience breast cancer.[4]
In recognition of her medical work, Peters was awarded two honorary doctorates (from York University in 1975 and Queen's University in 1983) and a gold medal from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in 1979. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1975, raised to Officer in 1977, and was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2010.[4]
