Alla Gregory Zaver, M.D.

Dr. Alla Zaver was born in Harbin, China while her family was in the process of emigrating from Russia to Australia. Early on in life, Alla made the decision to dedicate her life to medicine and helping people. This commitment led her on a worldwide journey that ended with her later years in the Boston area.

She spent her early years in Brisbane where she attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School, followed by the University of Queensland where she graduated 1949 with Bachelor degrees in Medicine and Surgery. From 1952 - 1955, she was the Registrar at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

 

Alla moved to Melbourne to continue her specialty training at the Royal Melbourne Teaching Hospital and studied for her MRACP (Member of the Royal Australian College of Physicians).

In 1957, Alla continued her training at the London Hammersmith Hospital Postgraduate Institute. She then moved onto the Brampton Hospital Respiratory Institute and the National Heart Institute, where she was able to pursue her passion for cardiac treatment. While there, Alla was closely involved in the newly developing techniques of Cardiac Catheterisation and Cardiac Valve Surgery.

Alla moved to the United States in 1960 for a Cardiologist position in Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Subsequently, she became the director of the Intensive Care Unit at Tufts Medical School while at the same time continuing in her role as the Cardiologist in Charge of the Adolescents Cardiac Clinic. In 1966, Alla became the first Australian to become a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

In 1974, Alla continued her passions of helping children and adolescent patients and innovating systems and procedures by joining the newly formed Social Security and Disability Program. Alla continued her affiliation with the program until her retirement in 2011 at the age of 87.

During her career, Alla was involved in several organisations including the American Heart Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society of Law and Medicine.

Alla died peacefully at her home in Natick, Massachusetts on January 10th, 2021.