AMAV VICDOC SUMMER 2023 - Magazine - Page 80
M ORE THA N M ED
MEDICINE
STORYTELLING
—
Dr Neela Janakiramanan
REPORT KAY DUNKLEY
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for Women's
Agenda
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE
MEDICINE AS A CAREER AND WHAT
FACTORS PROMPTED THAT DECISION?
—
I decided to pursue medicine in my mid-teens.
My grandfather was a GP-surgeon in rural India.
He built his clinic and family home in the same
location and his waiting room was a pergola in
the back garden. By the time I was born, he had
given up obstetrics, but he still performed minor
surgery like tonsillectomies and vasectomies.
I watched my first operation ‒ a tonsillectomy ‒
when I was eight! (With the consent of
the patient!)
My parents actually didn’t encourage me
to pursue a career in medicine, if anything
they discouraged it ‒ pointing to many of the
issues we still face in medicine, discrimination,
harassment, long working hours, challenges to
work-life balance. I strongly considered a career
in journalism as I loved writing (which, to be
honest, faces many of the same issues), but in
the end I was really inspired by how important
my grandfather was to his community, and how
much of a difference he made to people’s lives.
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AMA VI C TO RIA
WHAT LEAD TO YOU SPECIALISING IN
RECONSTRUCTIVE PLASTIC SURGERY?
WHAT IS THE MOST SATISFYING ASPECT
OF YOUR WORK?
—
It’s hard to explain exactly why we choose
what we do. In part, it was the nature of the
work that I found intellectually satisfying, in
part it was mentors that inspired and supported
my career. A majority of my work now is
complex hand and wrist surgery, for which I
have done multiple post-training fellowships,
including overseas. This is an area I did choose
because of the wonderful collegiate community,
but also because restoration of upper limb
function is deeply satisfying. I love it when
people come and say to me that they need
their hands because… and what follows is the
most important thing to them, the thing their
identity is woven up in. It might be work, or a
hobby or caring responsibilities. And being ble
to undertake work that allows people to return
to that thing is really satisfying.