She returned to Dundee in 1919 where she ran a consultant practice for
gynaecology.
Dundee Royal Infirmary and Dundee Medical School In 1920, she began a teaching career at Dundee's Medical School, a role that lasted for almost four decades. In the mid-1920s, she joined the staff of
Dundee Royal Infirmary, where she worked for the rest of her career. In 1926 she visited the
Marie Curie Foundation in
Paris and this caused her to develop a keen interest in the clinical applications of
radium. As a result of this began employing it in the treatment of malignant gynaecological diseases, and thus pioneered its clinical use in Scotland. She also organised follow up clinics at Dundee Royal Infirmary for patients she had treated with radium. Away from the Infirmary, she acted as honorary gynaecologist to the
Arbroath Infirmary, the Brechin Infirmary and the
Montrose Royal Infirmary as well as the
Forfar Infirmary and was involved with cases throughout
Angus and
Perthshire.
Scotland's first female professor In 1936, Fairlie became head of
Dundee Royal Infirmary's
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department. Normally such an appointment would have led to her becoming Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the
University of St Andrews, but attempts to grant her this position were initially blocked, partly due to ongoing difficulties between
University College, Dundee and the university authorities in
St Andrews. After four years of impasse, Fairlie, backed by the directors of Dundee Royal Infirmary, was finally appointed as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of St Andrews, based in Dundee in 1940. She held this post until her retirement from both the university and the infirmary in 1956. Whilst Fairlie was the first female professor
in Scotland, she was not the first Scottish female professor, for example being preceded by
Doris Mackinnon and
Agnes Marshall Cowan. ==Personal life==