The Tribune

A MEMORIAL mass was held in Madison, Nebraska, this morning for Dr Julia M Wershing, 89, who died in Madison, on Tuesday at the Arbor Care Centre in Madison.

In 1963, Dr Wershing settled in The Bahamas as the clinical director of the newly opened Children’s Clinic in Nassau. During her 29 years running the clinic, she saw more than 23,000 patients who she regarded as “my kids”.

While at the clinic, she also served as a Georgetown University paediatrics professor. Hundreds of medical students from the United States and the Caribbean studied under her for hands on paediatrics experience. She was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Georgetown Medical School for her work with these students.

Dr Wershing ran clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies, including anti-worm medications and vaccine trials for various childhood diseases. Her research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr Wershing, who left The Bahamas in 1992, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her services to the Bahamian people.