Jenny Guislain Lefebvre visual
The first woman to obtain a doctorate in pharmacy from the Combined Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Lille, this schoolteachers’ daughter completed her secondary education at the Lycée Fénelon in Lille before going on to study pharmacy.
From 1919 onwards, she worked as a parasitology ‘préparateur’ (lab assistant). She was awarded first-class pharmacist status in 1922, when she defended her doctoral thesis Contribution to the Zoological and Parasitological Study of Onchocerca volvulus.
In 1925, she married Julien Lefebvre, a doctor who graduated that same year. They both worked in Hellemmes until 1938, when they moved to Villeneuve-Loubet (Alpes-Maritimes). Jenny Guislain-Lefebvre became mayor of this commune from 1963 to 1965.
Notes written by Cyrielle Jean.
This short profile was written as part of the second edition of the ‘Université avec un grand Elles’ (Women Who Shaped the University) exhibition, which was held in 2021.