| Patricia Ann Baird | |
| Birth Date: | 11 October 1937 |
| Birth Place: | Littleborough, Lancashire, England |
| Fields: | Medical Genetics |
| Workplaces: | University of British Columbia |
| Alma Mater: | McGill University |
| Awards: | Order of Canada Order of British Columbia |
Patricia Ann Baird, (born 11 October 1937)[1] is a British medical geneticist active in Canada. Her research has specialized on the relationship between medical technology and ethics.[2]
Patricia Baird was born in Littleborough, Lancashire, England, the daughter of Harold and Winifred Cainen Holt. She was educated at the Queen Mary School for Girls in Lytham, Lancashire. She emigrated to Canada at the age of 17 and was accepted to McGill University. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1959 and a M.D., C.M. in 1963 from McGill University in Montreal.
She is a University Killam Distinguished Professor Emerita, Department of Medical Genetics[3] at the University of British Columbia.[4] In 1978, Baird became the head of the Department of Medical Genetics, leading the department to become an internationally renown research institution. She was the first woman to both be named as chair of a clinical medical department and to be elected to the Board of Governors at the University of British Columbia.[5] In 1991, she became Vice-President of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.[6] In 1989, she became the chair of the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies.
In 1992, Baird was recognized as a Member of the Order of British Columbia.[7] In 2000, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition for being "a contributor to science, public policy and the advancement of women".[2] In 2001, Baird became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.[8]
She was presented the Cooper Ornithological Society Harry R. Painton Award in 2013,[9] along with her co-authors Hope M. Draheim and Susan M. Haig, for their paper entitled “Temporal analysis of mtDNA variation reveals decreased genetic diversity in Least Terns” published in The Condor.[10]
She married Robert Merrifield Baird in 1964. Together, they had three children, Jennifer, Brian and Bruce Baird.