Long before dancer health and wellbeing became an internationally recognised hallmark of elite training, Dr Pamela McQueen understood that great artists are shaped not only by technique, but by care, compassion and humanity. She championed an approach that honoured the whole dancer – attending to growing bodies, developing minds and the emotional lives of young people navigating extraordinary demands. The culture she helped establish, one of attentiveness, trust and proactive support, became the quiet architecture beneath The Australian Ballet School’s excellence.  

Like many balletomanes, Pam took classes as a child. She progressed onto pointe work, but says, “I had very stiff hips, so I was never going to get too far. But I just loved ballet. I still do.” In 1984, the School’s orthopedic surgeon, Ron Quirk, noticed that students were often asking him for prescriptions or to treat minor illnesses, and identified the need for a GP. Pam applied for the position, and was interviewed by two formidable bosses: Margaret Scott, the director of the School, and Maina Gielgud, the artistic director of The Australian Ballet. They appointed her as resident doctor of both the School and the Ballet, although given the company's touring schedule, she would spend the majority of her time with the students. “Maggie was easy to work with,” Pam remembers. “Her husband was Professor Derek Denton, the head of the Florey Institute; she was very interested in traditional medicine, and in the students’ health.”  

Pam had worked at a girls’ school and the University of Melbourne and was already interested in adolescent health. She found it fascinating to work with patients who, despite their youth, were laser-focused on their discipline. “Dancers are really easy to treat, because they all want to be better yesterday, and get back to dancing. You often have to hold them back, and say things like, ‘No, you can’t dance, you’ve got a high temperature!’” She and Maggie introduced regular check-ups each term for the students, including an hour-long medical check for the first-years when they started at the School. Pam, who had a psychotherapy and counselling qualifications, used this as an opportunity to introduce herself to the students, and to see how they were settling in. 

At this time, many of the students were living in homestays or hostels, or renting their own flats. Some had only just left home, and were navigating adult life while still in their mid-teens. “They needed to know how to shop and cook, how to do laundry. I was like a surrogate mum, I’d give them advice. I wrote a little book for them that had shopping tips, simple recipes, what to have in the pantry, why you had to have healthy food as well as looking after your feet. I gave talks on nutrition: I’d tell them that the body is like a fancy racing car, it needs high-grade petrol, and oil changes.”  

In the mid-80s, eating disorder awareness was growing. With her background in adolescent health and her counselling credentials, Pam was well-placed to care for the students. She and Margaret Scott went to speak to a specialist at the Children’s Hospital about adolescents and eating disorders to get the most complete picture possible about the conditions and how to prevent and manage them. 

The Australian Ballet School - Archive - 1980s

“I did a lot of check-ins and counselling. The teachers would say ‘Oh, darling, you’re looking a bit tired, and you’re not working as strongly in class – maybe go and have a chat with Pam and see what’s going on.’ No dancer wants to be tired, because when they’re tired more prone to get injuries. So that was a good ‘carrot’. We did our very best to encourage healthy eating patterns. And I think we did a pretty good job.” 

She also kept a close eye on some of the students who were working at night to make ends meet, who would come to class exhausted. Nutritional needs of developing adolescent males was another area of focus for Pam. “When they come [to the School], they’re aged 15 to 18, and they’re growing very rapidly. The teachers are aware of that, and they don’t push them too hard, because the muscles take a while to ‘catch up to the bones’, and they get tired. Their energy requirements are huge. We educated them on eating the right sort of food – carbs, proteins, not just sweets or fast food.” 

At the beginning of each term, Pam assessed each student. “The boys were particularly interested in how much they’d grown over the holidays.” With the permission of their parents, she had the female students’ bone density measured as part of a study at the Austin Hospital. “We found out they had very good bone density in their legs and their spines, but very poor bone density in their arms. Nowadays, the girls do Pilates and work with weights to strengthen their arms as well.” 

Realising that many of the dancers were operating on limited budgets, Pam did what she could to help out. “In those days, pharmaceutical companies used to shower doctors with samples, and I would save them up to give to the students.” She would sometimes quietly pay podiatry or physiotherapy bills for a student who was struggling financially, telling them, ‘Oh, the School will cover it!’”

When she left the School in 1998, Pam established a student health & welfare fund to support those in need, to be managed by the newly appointed psychologist. It was the start of her philanthropic relationship with the School; she is now one of its most cherished donors. Pam’s fund not only supports medical expenses but also student mental health and wellbeing. For example, enabling a student to return interstate to be with loved ones during a time of bereavement. Generations of students have benefited from this living gift, a lasting reflection of Pam’s generosity and commitment to their wellbeing.  

Today, the principles Pam championed extend beyond the School through its engagement in international dancer-health initiatives, grounded in a strong commitment to evidence-based research and sustainable training practices. One example is the School’s involvement with the International Youth Dancer Health Alliance, supporting global education on Relative Energy Deficiency in Dance (RED‑D). Caused by insufficient energy intake relative to physical output, RED-D affects performance, development and long‑term health.  

Since Pam’s days as the School it has continued to broaden its approach to student wellbeing, expanding its clinical team, expertise and support services in step with growing awareness of holistic care. A major milestone was the opening of Marilyn Rowe House, providing dedicated boarding for students from interstate and overseas and strengthening the School’s capacity to support students beyond the studio. While the School’s people, programs and student support have grown in scope and sophistication, the physical medical facilities available to students have changed little since Pam ’s time. As expectations of athlete health and best practice continue to evolve, this contrast highlights an opportunity to align the School’s physical infrastructure with the scale and professionalism of its people.  

As well as her philanthropic relationship with the School, Pam is an enthusiastic audience member. “These students really can do everything. You can’t beat classical ballet training: it even makes them walk beautifully. The graduation concert is always so brilliant. I’ve brought friends to that concert who say to me, ‘I thought you said this was the School!’ and I say, ‘Yes, it is!’ Each year, I think to myself, ‘Well, they just can’t get any better’, but they seem to.” 

Pam likes to draw, and for over a decade she’s been coming into class to sketch the students. Some of her artworks have been made into gift cards and sold for the benefit of The Ballet Society. “It’s a great privilege to be in the studio, and great fun. I just love listening to the musicians; I love the way the students thank them at the end. I like that it’s such a respectful culture, such a lovely milieu. I love coming here. By now, my car knows its own way!” 

The students, musicians and teachers of The Australian Ballet School are all dear to Pam ’s heart, and she in turn is beloved. She looks back on her time as GP and the differences she was able to make with great pleasure. “I loved it. It was my best job.” 

We are incredibly grateful for the commitment, generosity and care of Dr Pamela McQueen. The Australian Ballet School’s world‑class, multidisciplinary health and wellbeing program is an evolution of her vision and her work, building on the foundations she helped lay for the School we are today.  In 2025 Pam was acknowledged as an Honorary Life Member of The Australian Ballet School.