Danielle in her own words:

When I graduated from Loreto at the end of 2008, I was leaving thirteen years of a school that had been pivotal in guiding my growth as a young adult and in forming my values. I was seeking a pathway that would challenge me academically as well as personally, while providing scope for a wider impact; and a career in medicine was the way for me to find that. As such, I was fortunate to commence a Bachelor of Medicine/Surgery at the University of Adelaide in 2009, embarking on a six year journey that began in lecture theatres and classrooms, and rapidly translated to learning on the wards.  It was at medical school that I first started to explore my passion for public health – initially as a member of the University of Adelaide’s’ Global Health Group, Insight; and later as Chair of the group. In this role, we held seminars on issues pertinent to global health, ran health literacy programs in partnership with local refugee support groups and fundraised for grass-roots healthcare initiatives. It was also the place where I first started to critically think about how change could be affected within healthcare, and which efforts (albeit well intentioned) value added and which didn’t.

It was also at medical school where I forged an interest in research. While on a surgical rotation, a supervisor encouraged me to start exploring research, and invited me to help work on a project looking at the determinants of breast cancer recurrence in women. What started as a discussion at the end of a theatre case, became a project that introduced me to the value and power of an academic community – travelling to Auckland then Finland as a medical student to present our work, the latter of which received the award for best research presentation. For me, research appealed to my persistent need to ask questions and seek answers.

Alyssa in her own words:

Working as an Infectious Diseases Registrar during a global pandemic was not something I had envisaged for myself, but I am so thankful for the many opportunities Loreto presented, and twists and turns along the way, for helping me to end up where I did!

I first commenced at Loreto College in Reception in 1994 and finished Year 12 in 2006. Loreto provided many opportunities for exploring diverse interests, including the Oliphant Science Awards, Tournament of Minds and Social Justice Group. I am grateful to Loreto and the teachers who helped facilitate these opportunities as they provided the gateway for some of the most profound and transformative learning experiences. While I had initially dreamt of being an astronaut or scientist, by the time I graduated I had my heart set of pursuing a medical career.

I commenced medical school at the University of Adelaide in 2006, graduating in 2012 and completing my medical internship – a compulsory first year of supervised practice for new doctors – at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 2013. Medical training is a long road, and it often takes ten or more years after graduation from medical school for junior doctors (termed residents and registrars) to fully qualify as a specialist consultant. My initial goal post internship was to pursue a career as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, and I commenced as a junior doctor in Obstetrics at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in 2014. However, the joy of medicine is that it has many faces, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interrupt my clinical training to pursue higher degree studies through the Rhodes Scholarship program in the second half of 2014.

The Rhodes Scholarship program provides opportunities for scholars to spend two or more years at the University of Oxford pursuing post-graduate studies. It draws together a diverse cohort of approximately 100 candidates each year from across the globe. In addition to funding post-graduate studies, it provides an enriching scholar program and community designed to challenge assumptions, broaden horizons and enquire how each person can be best placed to serve their community. In Oxford, I undertook a Master of Global Health Science and Epidemiology and a Master of Public Policy. The first emphasised statistics; the second training in law, philosophy and economics – both a far cry from my medical degree!  However, both sets of skills are integral to strong public health and policy management.

The end of 2016 presented a fork road – whether to try and gain further professional experience in health policy or to return to clinical training and the pursuit of a clinical specialty. The call back to clinical medicine was ultimately stronger, and I returned to Adelaide in 2016. At this stage, I had a change of heart regarding specialty, and initially completed training in internal medicine, prior to pursuing a specialty training in Infectious Diseases. I started as a fresh-faced Infectious Diseases Registrar at the opening of 2020 – when whispers of a concerning new virus emerging in China were just beginning to reach our shores. The last two and a half years of working and training in Infectious Diseases have been at times hectic, frustrating, exhausting but also incredibly rewarding.

Now in my final year of Infectious Diseases training, I reflect on the ways in which reaching a final career or ‘job description’ is rarely linear. I have changed specialty, countries & health systems before finally settling on a career which felt ‘right’. I look forward to bringing together the diverse threads of my training and additional studies in public health and public policy as I continue my career. Although this will have to wait for another pivot – towards welcoming our first child with my husband this September – which I am sure will bring new and wonderful challenges of its own! Throughout these last fourteen years, I have been grateful for the lessons and skills which Loreto has imparted – in being curious, resilient, engaged with the world and the philosophy of Mary Ward to be community minded in all that we do.