Merbai Ardesir Vakil: a trailblazer who opened new paths across continents
When Merbai Ardesir Vakil travelled from India to train as a doctor she could not have known she would become a pioneer for the generations of Indian female students who followed her to Glasgow.
Her journey showed determination, ambition and a willingness to cross continents to pursue medical study at a time when few women could do so.
Born in 1868 she graduated BA from Wilson College then continued her medical training at the London School of Medicine for Women. In 1893 she arrived at Queen Margaret College Medical School just as it was merging with the University. Four years later she graduated MB CM becoming the first female Indian graduate of the University of Glasgow and the first Asian woman to graduate from any Scottish university. She then completed two years of postgraduate work in Glasgow.
Merbai returned to India where she worked in hospitals caring for women and children and in clinics responding to infectious disease. In 1927 she moved to Aden where she served in Government work and private practice until 1941.
Today we share Merbai Ardesir Vakil’s story as the first woman from India to graduate from Glasgow, helping shape a University committed to being the best for the world.
