Kristina Antoniades, a retired anatomic pathologist at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, who also embraced her Finn-Swede heritage, has died. She was 88, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dr. Antoniades of Philadelphia was also a researcher, writer, and board member of the American Swedish Historical Museum.
She was a councilor and recording secretary for the Essington-based Swedish Colonial Society.
Dr. Antoniades was also a volunteer docent at the Barnes Foundation.
Born in Vborg in 1936 when it was part of Finland, she served her medical residency at Hahnemann University Hospital in the mid-1960s. She worked in Crozer-Chester’s department of pathology until her retirement in 2004.
A pioneering researcher, she was an expert on breast and ovarian carcinoma, liver cell tumors, and the effects of radiation.
She was interested in botany and Philadelphia’s role as part of New Sweden, and she shared the stories of Swedish immigrants to the United States.
Her story about Finnish botanist Pehr Kalm’s visit to the city in the 1700s was published in 2013.
“She was exceptionally curious about everything,” her family said in a tribute. “Her kindness and intense curiosity will continue to inspire all who knew her.
Read more about the life of Kristina Antoniades in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
