What was it that led you to study medicine?

In high school I quickly discovered that my favorite subjects were math, science and biology; combine this with the memories from my childhood of hearing about several relatives who died from surgery. Somehow this bizarre combination of interests & experience led me to decide on a career of medicine at age 13, and I have never deviated from this decision.

At that stage, was it unusual for girls to go into medicine?

In that time girls would go into medicine but in very small numbers, with many of them not finishing. My family wanted me to have an education, but felt if I went into medicine I would be getting married and not finish. I was goal-orientated, and I’d made up my mind that I was going to get my MD.