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Chapter V. Embracing the Modern Age
Women in Surgery
Dr Velda Chow Dr Judy Ho Professor Ava Kwong Professor Nancy Man Dr Ada Ng Professor Tiffany Wong
The field of surgery has a history of having working groups in Hong Kong and In laboratory research, Professor Nancy world, but I’m used to that, and I don’t feel
few women among its ranks both locally Shenzhen, and receiving a number of Man, Director of both the Clinical and lonely,” she said. Nor has she felt the need
and internationally. In the past, women awards locally and internationally for Translational Research Laboratory and to change her ways when in leadership
faced a very masculine-oriented work her research. She was also elected Chair Laboratory for Liver Transplantation and positions. “When I was president of ILTS,
environment and unspoken barriers to of the International Committee of the Liver Cancer at HKU, has also been a I was very polite because I was pretty
promotion. But today, more and more Association of Women Surgeons. leader. She came to HKU in 1995 from junior then, and I think being polite will
women are entering the field. Trailblazers Shanghai as the first PhD student of be a much better way to solve conflicts
in the Department helped to set an “There have always been fewer women in Professor ST Fan and became part of the and competitions.”
example. surgery. It’s a man’s world because it’s all groundbreaking liver transplant team.
technical, hands on, a very masculine way She has held prestigious posts in her field, These efforts have made a career in
Professor Ava Kwong became the first of interpreting success, and the training is such as President of the National Liver surgery more welcoming for women such
female Clinical Professor in Surgery tough. But I think that has changed. More Transplant Society and the first Asian and as Dr Rosemarie Chiu, who graduated
in Hong Kong in 2012 and first female women are willing to do surgery now,” academic President of the International in 2017 and has completed her surgical
council member of the College of she said. Professor Kwong has helped Liver Transplant Society (ILTS). She also residency. “From around my training
Surgeons of Hong Kong (CSHK) in 2011. to pave the way as founder and elected received the ILTS Rising Star Award in years, there has been a 50-50 split of
She studied in the UK and returned to chair of the Women’s Surgical Chapter 2006 as a Mentee and won the Mentor males and females. I’m not sure why. In
Hong Kong in the late 1990s to work with of the CSHK, which focuses on bringing award four times between 2007 and 2016. previous years, this was definitely a male-
the Hospital Authority, establishing the people together through such activities dominated specialty. But I don’t feel any
Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer as charity events, family barbecues and “There are not many women in surgery, discrimination, none at all. I don’t feel
Family Registry in 2007, holding many makeup days. “I want to show members even less in transplant, and very few my gender gives me any disadvantage.”
positions in cancer and breast cancer that as a surgeon, you can still have a life.” women in leadership especially in the
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