She graduated in Economics from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, then in 1945, after the end of the Second World War, returned to England.
[2] She received a doctorate in Management Studies from the London School of Economics, and in 1956 became a researcher for the Acton Society, an independent organisation studying management of the newly nationalised industries and the health service; she rose to become a director of the society.
[3] Her research covered a range of subjects and organisations in industry, commerce and the National Health Service England and Wales (NHS).
She was granted the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Uppsala University in Sweden, and in 2008 gained membership of the Royal Society of Medicine.
[2] Stewart married in 1961 Ioan Mackenzie James, a fellow of St John's College, Oxford, and they settled in that town.