Elizabeth Greenhall, a consultant in public health who revolutionized family planning services in Oxfordshire, has died at the age of 83. Her innovative work included establishing 'Bodyzone' clinics in schools, where students could access confidential advice on contraception and other health issues.
Early life and education
Born in Birmingham to Johanna (known as Hansi), an educational psychologist, and Helmut Reiner, who worked for Harris Brushes, Liz was the daughter of parents who fled Vienna for 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 became head girl. There she met her future husband, Richard Greenhall, the 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 family
Liz married Richard in 1969. After junior doctor posts in London and Bristol, they settled 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. She and Richard restored an old cottage in the Welsh Marches, where the family spent holidays and welcomed friends.
Recognition and later work
In 2000, the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare (now the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare) awarded her the David Bromham memorial award for her groundbreaking work. After retiring in 2006, Liz volunteered for local refugee charities, inspired by her mother's early experiences. She also played the flute in a small musical group. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she joined the Oxford University Results Liaison Team, advising on contact tracing and self-isolation. Reflecting her family planning background, she recommended including condoms in student support packages. She was known for her calm, thoughtful, clear-eyed, and warm wisdom.
Richard died in 2021. Liz is survived by their children, Owen, George, and Ruth, and six grandchildren.
