The University of Queensland’s 2017 Alumni Awards have recognised a diverse range of leaders who have created change by advancing knowledge, powering economies and advocating for human rights and dignity. The recipients exemplify the immense change individuals can create by taking action and giving back through research, volunteering, public service or philanthropy.
One of the Distinguished Young Alumni Award recipients of 2017 is GIS’s Alumna Dr Retnagowri Rajandram from class of 1999. Dr. Retnagowri is a researcher and an academician who is pioneering collaborative approaches between surgeons and researchers to provide excellent outcomes for patients. She is involved in several research endeavor; however her more specialised disease of interest “Kidney Cancer” with over 10 years of research for this niche area.
Rajandram graduated from University of Queensland with a PhD in Medicine in 2009 at the young age of 25. Upon completing her degree she returned to her home in Malaysia and joined the country’s top University, the University of Malaya (87th ranking university in the world), where she aided in the establishment of a molecular and cellular laboratory under the Department of Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine.
Dr. Retnagowri is an advocate for health awareness and screening projects in her home country, such as the Klang Valley Prostate Awareness campaign as well as the Prostate Cancer Survivor Forum she also actively promotes universal access to health information. Her involvement with community health initiatives goes right down to the grassroots-level with her participation in the Zombie Haemophiliac and the BlueCap Movement fun runs.
Kindly browse the this link for more details about Dr. Retnagowri as well as the Alumni award.
Can you share with us your fondest memories of GIS?
When I occasionally remember my time at GIS, what stands out would definitely be the teachers I’ve interacted with both in my primary and secondary years. It would be hard to single one specific teacher as there were many who have guided me and contributed towards my progressive growth.
What advice would you give to current GIS students?
I guess one advice would be something like this – you can be a competitive person that’s always striving for improvement, but make sure you work on being the best that you can personally be. It’s alright to take inspiration from others but never try to be anyone else but you. We’re all different after all and no individual was mold the same way.
When it comes to careers, some of us realise our ambitions early on, some much later and some may have many career ambitions. The bottomline is, there is no right or wrong path, you can forge your own as you learn and grow and never be afraid to try and keep trying…life is a journey not a marathon.