A Harare born Tafadzwa Mandiwanza has sent international headlines buzzing after becoming the first female paediatric neurosurgeon in Ireland.
Mandiwanza said her parents fostered the ambition. Mandiwanza, chatting with the Irish Times:
My mum is a nurse and my dad remembers me telling him when I was three years old that I was going to be a doctor.
I assuage the guilt of being a working mum by being a role model for my girls so that they can achieve whatever they want as long as they are decent human beings.
I don’t think I’d be in this position if I hadn’t had the mentors that I had — people who had my back and offered me advice and encouragement.
I’d like to be available now to mentor other neuro-surgeons — particularly women coming through those long training pathways.
Mandiwanza says she naturally likes to focus and complete precision tasks, one at a time, a character that suits well with her career as she notes, “Every surgeon is a perfectionist.”
Mandiwanza was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and her husband, Rebabonye Pharithi, is originally from Botswana. The couple has lived in Ireland for 20 years and all of their children were born there.
More: The Herald