Susan Meikle

1960 - 2022

Susan Meikle



It is with profound regret that we report the passing of Susan Frances Meikle, in Amarillo Texas on 1 August 2022. Susan was born in Albuquerque, NM, on 16 September 1960, with a twin brother, and was the eldest daughter of seven children. Susie, as she was known among friends, graduated a top student from Del Norte High School in 1978, a member of the honor society and homecoming court. She taught herself to sew early on, and played tennis at a high level, winning the State championship twice. Susie graduated from the University of Denver in 1982, and from the University of Colorado with an MD in 1987 and an MPH in 1993. Susie had residencies in newborn care, obstetrics and gynecology, and preventative medicine, signaling the start of her lifelong dedication to issues in health care for women and infants. She was board certified at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology for most of her professional life. Susie completed a Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Texas, Houston in 2017. Susie's professional experience was exceptional as a scientist and a clinician. After working for various hospitals in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, Susie joined the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, rising from epidemiologist and Medical Officer to Senior Scientist and then to Program Director at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland. Susie was a high impact scientist; she was an author or coauthor of 66 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including a landmark study, "Prevalence of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in US women," cited over 1100 times in medical literature. Susie did clinical work throughout her career and she was proud of having been attending physician for many births. She consulted at Acoma-Canoncito-Laguna Health Services Unit in San Fidel, New Mexico, for several years and was a beloved palliative care physician in Amarillo where she worked with numerous patients, families, and staff. She helped hundreds during the Covid-19 pandemic. Susie's accomplishments were widely acknowledged by her peers, and she had been on editorial boards for several scientific journals. Susie received many professional awards, most notably the National Institutes of Health Award of Merit, and Honorary Membership in the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons, and she had been listed among the "Top Docs" in Hospice and Palliative Medicine in Amarillo Magazine in 2019 and 2020. Susie loved to travel, and kept track of her peregrinations with a world map. Her professional travel took her all over the U.S., as well as Europe (Switzerland, Macedonia), Asia (Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, China and Tibet), Central and South America (Brazil, Uruguay, and Guatemala), Africa (Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and Benin) and Australia. She vacationed in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Norway, Italy and other countries. In later years, Susie enjoyed time with her poodles Lulu and Babou, gardening (especially tomatoes and sunflowers), listening to books for book club, cooking special treats from pesto to brownies, giving advice, and being a "Fairy Godmother." Susie had a small group of family and friends, and within that group her kindness and generosity were legendary. Susie is survived by her mother Frances and sisters Maggie, Barbara and Catherine, brothers Andrew, George, and twin brother William, and many nieces and nephews. She was very close to her niece Nina and her nephew Alexander. A memorial service will be held on 17 September 2022; for information please contact info@meiklefineart.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Opportunity Plan, Inc.