Person

Pappius, Hanna M., 1925-

• Kwiecinska, Hanna Maria, 1925-
• Pappius, Hanna Maria Kwiecinska, 1925-
• Kwiecinska Pappius, Hanna Maria, 1925-

1925-

Hanna Maria Pappius (née Kwiecinska), C.M., was born on July 26, 1925, in Łąkocin, Poland. She moved to London with her mother in 1937. They then moved to Montreal in 1940, where Pappius graduated from high school at Sacred Heart Convent in 1942. She obtained a B.Sc. in 1945, an M.Sc. in 1948, and a Ph.D. in 1952—all degrees from McGill and all in biochemistry.

In 1953, Pappius began her employment at the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (MNI/H), associated with McGill University, where she would work until her retirement in 1995. Pappius’s primary role at the MNI/H was as a neurochemistry researcher in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Much of her research concerned the effects of cerebral edema on neurotransmitter and receptor mechanisms.

Pappius also worked in the MNI/H’s Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory throughout her career, eventually becoming the laboratory’s director. Additionally, Pappius taught in several departments of McGill’s Faculty of Medicine. This work involved in both teaching courses and supervising students at the Ph.D. and M.Sc. levels.

After her retirement, Pappius continued to publish research, attend academic conferences, and take part in committees at the MNI/H (particularly the Animal Care Committee, the Research Ethics Committee, and committees related to the MNI/H’s physical needs at the McGill University Hospital Centre’s new site) until the late 2000s.