WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

 As an obstetrician and Gynaecologist we work in a female-dominated environment, however, a lot of the high management posts are held by male doctors. We assume a lot of female doctors compromise on work and research to try and have time to build a family. Even though a lot of the male partners try and be hands-on fathers and help with the raising of kids, the mothers carry most of the burden and they are the organizing and nurturing person who keeps the family together.

 I was very privileged to train in the Wits Obs and Gynae unit under the leadership of Professor Yasmin Adam from 2017. I stepped into community service at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in 2017 and she was the head of the Obs and Gynae Unit. I was extremely overwhelmed to see the high number of registrars and consultants who work at Bara and the high turnover of the patients. Professor Adam was an excellent leader. She could easily manage the clinical aspect of work which involved patient care and academic activities.

She was a great mentor and had a special interest in the screening and treatment of women with cervical cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa. She would personally run the colposcopy clinic on certain days, had numerous publications, and supervised a lot of research projects. We all enjoyed her bedside teachings in the labour ward rounds, and we had lots of teaching episodes when we were preparing for our final FCOG exams. She helped me a lot during my final research corrections, and in that process, I learned a lot from her although I was quite tired and exhausted at that time with the process, now I miss doing research and academic work.

I did not know much about Professor Adam’s personal life, but I know that having a demanding job really takes a great toll on a woman’s personal and family life.  In April the Obs and Gynae department celebrated her retirement and it was a beautiful and emotional night with lots of laughter and tears. She gave us a beautiful speech and highlighted her struggles in the apartheid system as a medical student of Indian ethnicity, and now we are in a place where we have access to education regardless of our race and colour.

 




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