[2] Born in Hawthorn, Melbourne to Scottish-born Donald Campbell, a clerk, and his wife, New Zealand-born Janet Duncan (née Mill), a former school teacher.

[3] Due to gender discrimination in her work place, Campbell resigned and became the first honorary paediatrician at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne[5] from 1924 to 1927 where she filled the position of the Resident Medical Officer.

Campbell and Brown wrote a book called A Guide to the Care of the Young Child (1947),[5] which remained the standard reference textbook for sisters of infant welfare until 1972.

[3] Despite sexism and discrimination against females then seeking medical careers, Campbell was named as "honorary paediatrician" to the Queen Victoria Hospital in 1926, resigning from the role in 1965.

[2] From 1929-1965,[2] alongside Campbell's responsibilities as medical officer, she was appointed the first clinical lecturer for the University of Melbourne in infant welfare, specialising in neonatal paediatrics.

[2] Janet McCalman, Australian historian, described Campbell as having "clinical sensitivity, epidemiological curiosity and being meticulous";[3] qualities of which translated into evolving research on neonatal intensive care and a range of important advances in the medicine of newborns.

Campbell's most distinguished contribution in research was, in 1951, in establishing and proving that excess therapeutic oxygen in humidicribs acquired retrolental fibroplasia[5] - a condition which could lead to blindness in premature babies.