Chronicle April 2016

10

ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Women in Medicine A Careers Department Event

Deedee Koonnawarote

In February, five leading female medics from the John Radcliffe Hospital visited Teddies to share their stories and experiences of working in science. Pupils met Gemma Marsden, Biobank Ethics Lead; Dr Lisa Browning, Consultant Pathologist; Pankaj Gupta Roy, Consultant Breast Surgeon; Dr Clare Verrill, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Pathology; and Jane Niederer, Lead Research Nurse. Below, three pupils tell us what they found out.

I have always dreamt of studying Medicine and going on to become a dermatologist. At the talk, a number of interesting questions were asked regarding the particular challenges faced by women in Medicine, but despite the challenges they described, all panel members were very happy in their careers and felt that they had achieved a good work/life balance. The other important lesson I learned was that it is never too late to start. Some of these impressive women only discovered their true love for Medicine late in their academic years but they had the courage and determination to change direction. I have always imagined that studying and working in Medicine would be harder for women but listening to these motivational women has inspired me to keep working hard towards my goals. The main message from the panel members was: it will be complicated, and it will be challenging – but it will be worth it in the end.

Elizaveta Skarga In one of our recent MedSoc sessions, we were extremely lucky to host five different female medical specialists who work across different fields of healthcare. Their talks made it clear that, contrary to the commonly held belief, modern healthcare is not based on the work of doctors alone, but is built on a complex network of specialists across a variety of different fields. Our speakers shared personal experiences of undergoing long and demanding periods of training, and also talked about sacrifices they had made along the way. They spoke about the difficulty of combining motherhood with a career in medicine, about the physical demands of being a doctor and about the challenges of regular exams – in order to provide the highest quality healthcare possible, it is essential to stay up to date with the latest developments. However, having covered the challenging aspects of the profession, our guests then moved on to the bright side of being a healthcare specialist. Among many things, they stressed that all clinical jobs are very sociable in their nature, as the quality of the care delivered relies on effective collaboration. Furthermore, in comparison to many other professions, work in healthcare can have a clear and immediate impact, which makes it extremely rewarding. This motivational yet realistic talk has only strengthened my determination to pursue a

career in Medicine. As I approach the end of a two-year IB course in Higher Level Chemistry, Biology and German, and Standard Level English, Mathematics and History, I am hoping to pursue my studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Having a particular interest in immunology, infectious diseases and public health, I want to dedicate my undergraduate studies to a Major in Immunology and Microbiology and a Minor in German. Subsequently, I am hoping to enroll into a Canadian Medical School.

Elizaveta, who is in the Upper Sixth, was previously at School No 1239 in Moscow.

Fifth Former Deedee was previously at Maidwell Hall.

From left to right: Deedee Koonnawarote, James George and Elizaveta Skarga