Dr Elizabeth Greenhall, a pioneering public health consultant who transformed family planning services in Oxfordshire and established groundbreaking school-based health clinics, has died aged 83.
Early Life and Education
Born in Birmingham, Liz was the daughter of Johanna (known as Hansi, nee Elner), an educational psychologist, and Helmut Reiner, who worked for Harris Brushes. Her parents met in Vienna but came to England in 1939 to escape persecution; both were socialists, and Hansi was Jewish. Liz attended King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham, where she served as head girl, and met her future husband, Richard Greenhall, who was then head boy of the corresponding boys' school. She studied medicine at Oxford University, where she met the author as a fellow student, and later at Westminster Hospital Medical School, qualifying in 1968.
Career and Contributions
After marriage in 1969, Liz and Richard worked in junior doctor posts in London and Bristol before settling in Oxford, where Richard became a consultant neurologist. In 1978, after starting a family, Liz became a registrar in public health with the Oxfordshire Health Authority before moving into general practice and then family planning. Her work broke new ground in healthcare provision for young women and marginalised groups. She instituted "Bodyzone" clinics in schools, where pupils had direct access to advice on a range of health issues, including contraception. In 2000, the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare (now the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare) recognised her work with the David Bromham memorial award.
Retirement and Later Life
After retiring in 2006, Liz volunteered for local refugee charities, conscious of her mother's early experiences. She also played the flute in a small musical group. In 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, she joined volunteers in the Oxford University Results Liaison Team to provide advice on contact tracing and self-isolation. True to her background, she recommended including condoms in support packages for students during lockdown. Throughout her life, she was calm, thoughtful, clear-eyed, warm, and wise. She and Richard restored an old cottage in the Welsh Marches, where the family spent holidays and welcomed many friends.
Family and Legacy
Richard died in 2021. Liz is survived by their children, Owen, George, and Ruth, and six grandchildren.
