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Snakes & Ladders
Profiles of Women in Science and Stories of the Snakes and
Ladders They Have Faced in Their Careers
From Penang to Potential
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I was born in Penang, Malaysia in 1969 of Chinese descent. I am the youngest
out of seven siblings, the only girl and the youngest in a family of six older
brothers! My early
childhood can only be described as privileged. We never wanted for anything and
being the youngest in the family, I was doted on by my brothers and my extended
family as well as the nannies that were employed to look after us.
My father studied in America in the fifties at a time when he was one of very
few Chinese at New York University, where he achieved his Masters in Economics.
He is a great believer in education and going to university was not an option
but a given for all of us. With this in mind, he decided to bring the entire
family to Australia in 1978. Firstly this was to ensure that we received the
right education. But more importantly, to make sure that our family stayed
together. If we were sent overseas from Malaysia for our education, dad
understood that we would not be returning to Malaysia afterwards!
I arrived in Australia when I was 9 years old, not able to speak a word of
English and had to try and go to school. Needless to say I had to learn how to
speak the language of the country very quickly! Once I managed that, there was
no stopping me! I am often told that I can talk the leg off an iron pot!
I went through primary school and high school with minimal fuss, and being very
much my father’s child, I had focused on what I wanted from very early on in
high school and was tenacious in pursuing what I wanted. My father suggested
Medicine as a career option when I was in year 10 and of course the immediate
response was “No I don’t want to”!! But I had to make some decisions about what
subjects I need to take for the following 2 years in high school soon after
that, and Medicine was not such a “silly” idea after all.
I have always been interested in how things worked and to be able to find out
how the human body worked was very appealing. This was the start of my
fascination with science in general. I went through the Medical course; again
with minimal fuss and with dad’s encouragement, I took a year’s break between
third year and fourth year to do an Honours year. This was a year of research
and my project was looking at the sleep-wake cycle of premature infants in the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The project looked at how light and dark cycles
affected the sleep patterns of these babies when they are finally discharged
home. I will always remember this “break” as the year that made me who I am
today. I left my comfort zone and embarked on a project where I had no peers to
rely on. I had to drive the project and made sure that the data was collected
appropriately and the thesis was written and submitted on time. I was expected
to do a presentation once a week, and the final thesis had to be presented to a
panel and then answer questions from all unexpected angles. I loved every
minute!
After my Honours year, I re-joined the Medical course and completed it, but with
a completely new group, as the peers I had started with were now a year ahead.
Making friends has never been a problem for me and I completed my course with
memories of lots of laughter, lots of hard work and a determination to not have
to repeat a year! Throughout all this time, my fascination with how the human
body works and what can affect the function remained just as strong. I decided
on Anaesthetics as a career very early on as this allowed me to continue the
study of Physiology. My determination saw me through and I was accepted into the
training program in my third postgraduate year. I thoroughly enjoyed my
anaesthetics training, but I found that working 80 to 100 hours a week meant
that my first priority was getting some sleep. I have always enjoyed my social
life and there was none. It was also going to be the norm and not the exception
if I continued on that path so I made a decision to leave clinical medicine and
embarked on my MBA. During this time, I worked within the public health system
in medical administration where I was looking after the junior medical staff
within the health service I was at. I was also involved in clinical risk
management and quality and I developed my interest in systems during this time.
I decided to move away from the public health arena when the frustration of
limited funding and lack of vision and accountability made me examine where I
would fit into that scheme. The result was that I did not and I joined research
and development within private industry. This proved to be another milestone
decision for me, one that I have not looked back from since. Industry has
offered me the opportunity to explore all of my creativity and ability to
develop and implement systems that would ensure efficiency. It has also allowed
me to maintain my interest in scientific development and continue my personal
pursuit of increasing my general knowledge, as well as improving my knowledge
and understanding of people management and people development.
The MBA course opened the doors in my brain that had previously been closed as I
was always under the belief that Medicine did not prepare me for anything else.
I have now come to realise that Medicine was only the first baby step forward in
a world full of new knowledge and new things to explore. Looking back, I do not
have one particular scientific figure that inspired me. All the previous
“greats” inspired me, and these figures ranged from musicians to scientists to
artists and philosophers. All of them contributed to opening those doors in my
brain. But most of all, my father was the most influential inspiration in my
life because he encouraged me to never be afraid and always open closed doors –
it is the only way to continually learn.
I have been incredibly fortunate in that I have been able to travel to many
places in the world, both for leisure and also for work. Each place that I have
been to, there has always been an association with great feats of science and
engineering, architecture, culture, civilisation, history and music. My Chinese
heritage in the Australian society has allowed me to appreciate the richness
that different cultures bring to a society, and it is something that I look for
when I travel both for work and for leisure. I feel privileged with the
knowledge that I have gained in science and music – and my travels allow me to
add to that.
My journey through science and not just science but in all areas of knowledge is
ongoing, and I hope that this journey will continue for as long as my mind is
able. Thank goodness dementia is not in my family history!! For all those people
starting out in their careers, do not be afraid to open doors and explore
territories outside of your comfort zone. You never know what treasures you may
find
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