Patricia Verne Kailis (19 August 1933 – 17 April 2020) was an Australian business woman, geneticist and neurologist noted for her work in genetic counseling for neurological and neuromuscular disorders.
[4] In 1960, she married Michael Kailis and the couple moved to Dongara, Western Australia, in 1961 to establish a crayfish factory.
[4] In 1969 Kailis, her husband, and their four children (Maria, George, Amanda and Alex) moved back to Perth.
[3][4] In 1978, Kailis successfully contained the spread of disease in the family's pearl farms by insisting on hygienic practices in the processing of the oysters.
[2] In 2001, the Australian Government awarded Kailis the Centenary Medal for service to medicine and the community.