Background
Bradley was born in 1909 to Alan Godfrey Burton Bradley and wife Ruby Malvina Drayton in Richmond, New South Wales. Alan Burton Bradley was the son of Henry Burton Bradley, who in turn was the nephew of William Westbrooke Burton.
Bradley was born in 1909 to Alan Godfrey Burton Bradley and wife Ruby Malvina Drayton in Richmond, New South Wales. Alan Burton Bradley was the son of Henry Burton Bradley, who in turn was the nephew of William Westbrooke Burton.
She attended Cleveland Street Intermediate High School in Sydney and, after graduating in 1928, enrolled at the University of Sydney studying arts and pharmacy.
Claudia Burton Bradley was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 11 and was one of the world"s first diabetics to receive treatment with insulin. Her early hospitalisations and treatment influenced her aspirations to study medicine. She qualified as a pharmacist in 1930 and worked in the pharmacy of the Western Suburbs Hospital from 1933 to 1938 before returning to university to complete a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, which she received in 1943.
In the following years she was appointed RNSH"s honorary clinical assistant in physiotherapy and honorary assistant orthopaedic surgeon at RFH. Her main area of work was in cerebral palsy.
She was involved in international research and pioneered a team-based approach to treatment and habilitation. She campaigned for the "maintenance of dignity in relation to these children as fellow beings" and the encouragement of children with the disease "to lead useful and independent lives".
Bradley retired in 1962 due to her worsening health as a result of diabetes. She died from a coronary occlusion on 5 October 1967 in Cremorne, New South Wales.
She founded the Australian Cerebral Palsy Association in 1952 and was made an honorary member of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy. She was made a member of the Order of the British Empire in 1966 for her commitment to researching and treating cerebral palsy.