doctors may be unaware of her books, but they are still in print and her work is promoted by an organization in Australia set up by her heirs. Over six decades, Dr. Weekes' first three books have brought life-changing relief to hundreds of thousands of people suffering from anxiety and panic disorders around the world. Although Doctor Weekes has been deceased since 1990, at least half of Amazon.com's customer reviews state that one of her books "saved my life". Weekes' early work on the subject of reproduction and placentation in reptiles is held in high regard and is often cited by researchers in the field. Early career in biology Claire Weekes began her career as a research scientist, receiving her D Sc in 1930 from the University of Sydney; she was the first woman to attain that degree from the university. Working under Prof. Launcelot Harrison, she conducted research on reproduction and placentation in viviparous (live-bearing) lizards from 1925–1934; part of this period (1929–1931) was spent in England in the lab of J.P. Hill. Weekes' work led to eight published papers, including a major summary published in 1935 in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Weekes' work provided the basis an understanding of reptile placentation that lasted for nearly 50 years. More recent work has continued to build on the empirical and conceptual framework that she established. Weekes' research on the complex placentae of Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii was instrumental in the establishment of the species as a model organism for studying the evolution of pregnancy. Claire Weekes' published papers in reproductive biology of reptiles: Weekes, H.C. (1927a). Placentation and other phenomena in the scincid lizard Lygosoma (Hinulia) quoyi. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 52:499–554. References External links Official Dr. Claire Weekes Homepage Australian women biography page Biography, publications, and audio recordings Australian biologists 1903 births 1990 deaths Australian health and wellness writers Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian women 20th-century biologists