A life dedicated to healing and mentorship

Dr Emma Bowley's journey in medicine spanned nearly 40 years, leaving an indelible mark on the healthcare landscape. Her passion for women's health and commitment to training young doctors defined her legacy.

With donations made in memory of Emma, Wellbeing of Women will help to continue her commitment to women’s health, by investing in ground-breaking research, providing vital health information, and campaigning to tackle shame, stigma and silence.

Emma's early years in medicine were shaped by her experiences and learning at St Mary's Hospital in London, where she laid the foundation for her lifelong dedication to patient care. It was during her student elective in Kenya that Emma witnessed first-hand the consequences and stark realities of poor reproductive health on the impoverished female population. This ignited her fervour for advocating for women's wellbeing throughout her career.

After St Mary’s, Emma's learning journey took her through Ascot, Truro, Portsmouth, and Havant, where, as a House Officer, Senior House Officer, and Registrar, she honed her skills and compassion. She then went into General Practice in Havant, where she stayed for the last 30 years. For most of this time she served as a partner and GP at the Homewell Practice, where her impact extended beyond clinical walls as she touched countless lives.

Emma's enthusiasm and expertise made her an exceptional trainer for over 20 years.  She nurtured doctors, nurses, medical students, and paramedics, shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals. She became the Programme Director for the Portsmouth GP Vocational Training Scheme in 2016, and more recently she was appointed as a ‘Support on Extension’ (SOX) educator to mentor young aspiring doctors who were struggling to become GPs.

Her aspiration was to ensure that the skills required to recognize and manage women’s health were firmly embedded within General Practice in partnership with the services offered by specialist clinics. Latterly, Emma had just begun her training to become a specialist in management of the menopause.  Her legacy lives on in the hearts of those she trained, the patients she cared for, and the colleagues she inspired.

For someone as dedicated and diligent as Emma, she found General Practice and caring for so many people very demanding and at times quite stressful.  She felt lucky that she had the opportunity to balance her life by spending time with horses and riding.  She always said that she needed this balance in order to then be the best possible wife, mother and friend. She cared for horses in the same way that she did everything else; by working hard to understand their needs and helping them to be the best that they could be.  She successfully competed in dressage at a novice level and was very excited to have just started with a new young horse that she hoped would allow her to compete still further.  She was also always incredibly happy just hacking out or simply spending time with friends around the stables.

She could see that life is fragile and precious, and she went out of her way to help everyone she could with her beautiful care and positivity.  Her answer to challenges in life was to take positive action – don’t be a victim and complain about what has happened to you or what might happen.  Instead, we must build our resilience, sometimes having to do difficult things at difficult times, and change or adapt to what has happened.

Tributes

Wellbeing of Women

Wellbeing of Women is the women’s health charity saving and changing the lives of women, girls and babies. Our ambition is to ensure that women’s lives are not limited by their gynaecological and reproductive health.

We do this by investing in world class research, championing education, tackling taboos, influencing guidelines, policy and practice and empowering women to advocate for themselves.

Women are the cornerstone of our society, so when we get it right for women and girls, everyone benefits.