Jane Wilson-Howarth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jane Wilson-Howarth
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Wilson-Howarth in Madagascar
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| Born | Jane Margaret Wilson 1961 Epsom, England, United Kingdom |
| Pen name | Jane Wilson-Howarth |
| Occupation | author, lecturer, physician |
| Nationality | British |
| Genre | travel narratives, travel health, fiction |
| Subject | Nepal, Madagascar |
| Spouse | Simon Howarth (married 1987) |
| Children | Alexander David (died 1996) Sebastian |
Jane Wilson-Howarth is a British doctor, public speaker, and author. She is known for writing travel health guides, stories about her travels, a novel, and a series of wildlife adventure books for children. She has also written many health articles for magazines and newspapers, as well as scientific papers for other doctors.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jane Wilson was born in Epsom Hospital, Surrey, England. She grew up in a nearby suburb called Stoneleigh. She is married to Simon Howarth, and they divide their time between England and Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
As a student, Jane faced challenges with dyslexia, a learning difficulty that affects reading. She left school at 16 to study sciences at a local college. In March 2025, the college made her an honorary fellow, which is a special honor.
Later, she studied biological sciences at Plymouth Polytechnic. She focused on animals without backbones (invertebrates) and how to manage the environment. For a research project, she studied tiny insects called collembola in caves. This led to her first published scientific paper.
A scholarship from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust allowed her to travel to Nepal in 1976. This trip sparked a lifelong connection with the country. She later got a job there researching rabbit parasites, which earned her a master's degree from Corpus Christi College, Oxford. This work inspired her to study medicine at the University of Southampton so she could help people in developing countries.
Medical Career
After becoming a doctor, Wilson-Howarth worked in several medical fields. These included general medicine, helping women during childbirth (obstetrics), and caring for children (paediatrics). She worked on projects to improve children's health and hygiene in countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, and Nepal.
For over 15 years, she was a family doctor in Cambridgeshire, England. She also taught medical students at the University of Cambridge about family medicine and global health.
Wilson-Howarth often gives talks about how to stay healthy while traveling. In 2016, she volunteered with Doctors of the World to provide medical care for Syrian refugees in Greece. She also works with Voluntary Service Overseas in countries like Nepal and Nigeria.
Since 2017, she has spent much of her time back in Nepal. She volunteers with a charity called PHASE, where she writes medical guides for healthcare workers and supports doctors in remote mountain villages.
Adventures and Expeditions
Wilson-Howarth loves adventure. During her university years in Plymouth, she started exploring caves (caving) and scuba diving. She was one of the first women to do special deep-water dives in a cave in Devon, England. She was also a talented athlete, winning national college championships in canoeing and sailing.
Exploring the Himalayas
She once spent six months on a trip to the Himalayas. Her team searched for new caves in Pakistan, India, and Nepal. They documented the creatures living inside them. She collected many animal specimens for the Natural History Museum in London.
Expeditions to Madagascar and Peru
While studying medicine, she took part in more expeditions. She traveled to the island of Madagascar and led a team of eleven people to Peru. In 1983, she received the BISH Medal for her "courage and determination in the face of adversity."
Her work in Madagascar helped get the Ankarana Massif recognized as a protected area. This region is a vital home for endangered animals like the crowned lemur and Sanford's brown lemur. Her team also discovered a previously unknown type of blind fish and the fossils of giant lemurs that are now extinct.
Writing Career
Most of Wilson-Howarth's books are about her travels and experiences.
- Lemurs of the Lost World: Her first book is about her expeditions to Madagascar. Famous travel writer Dervla Murphy called it the best travel book written about the country at the time.
- Staying Healthy When You Travel: This is a popular guide to travel health, first published in 1995. It gives practical advice for travelers.
- A Glimpse of Eternal Snows: This is a personal story set in both Cambridge, England, and Nepal. It has been praised by critics and was featured on BBC radio.
- Snowfed Waters: This is her first novel and is a fictional story that continues from A Glimpse of Eternal Snows.
Wilson-Howarth has written over 200 travel health articles for Wanderlust magazine. She has also written for major newspapers like The Independent. Travel editor Simon Calder named her one of the top five most impressive travel experts.
She is a member of several writers' groups, including the Society of Authors and Cambridge Writers. She is also active in a group called Walden Writers, which helps local authors promote their work and support each other.
Awards and Recognition
- 2009: Elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Travel Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow.
- 2017: Elected a Fellow of the British Global and Travel Health Association.
- 2025: Appointed an honorary fellow of North East Surrey College of Technology.
