She pioneered the field of paediatric gastroenterology working on health issues including cystic fibrosis and coeliac disease.
In 1955 became a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Melbourne with the thesis entitled "Diagnosis, Aetiology and Treatment of Coeliac Disease".
Their work identified that the gluten in flour had a harmful effect on fat absorption in children with coeliac disease.
[3] In 1958 she developed a test that accurately diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, and a technique for biopsying the small intestines of children.
She was appointed Leonard Parsons Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Birmingham Medical School in 1968 and remained there until 1980, when she returned to Melbourne, her place of birth.