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Elsie Stephenson (1916-1967) was the first Director of the Nursing Studies Unit at the University of Edinburgh, which was founded in 1956.

Early life
Stephenson failed her final school examinations and did not graduate from university. Her father's death in 1919 in the influenza epidemic has been cited as her motivation for becoming a nurse.

Career
After working in community nursing in Newcastle upon Tyne, Stephenson worked overseas with the British Red Cross Society both before and after the Second World War. Her appointment as founding Director of the Nursing Studies Unit and the University of Edinburgh shocked members of the Scottish nursing community due to her lack of university education and teaching experience. In her post as Director, Stephenson oversaw a new training scheme that expected students to graduate in an arts or humanities discipline before taking their nursing qualification.

Legacy
Within days of Stephenson's death, the University of Edinburgh set up the Special (Elsie Stephenson) Nursing Studies Fund, with the aim of developing the work of the Department of Nursing Studies at the University. The University of Edinburgh hosts an annual Elsie Stephenson Memorial Lecture, which celebrates the work of Stephenson. Stephenson has been described as having 'established nursing as a serious academic subject in one of our oldest and most distinguished universities'.