Birmingham Children’s Hospital surgeon and photographer feature in national gallery
A Birmingham Children’s Hospital surgeon is featured in a national photography exhibition celebrating inspirational women in the operating theatre.
Taken moments before carrying out a life-saving kidney transplant, Miss Evelyn Ong, a Consultant Paediatric Hepatobiliary and Transplant Surgeon, was captured on camera by Bethany Stanley, a Senior Clinical Photographer also from the hospital.
It is one of 25 portraits of female surgeons featured from across the country.
Only 17 per cent of consultant surgeons are women, compared to the 60 per cent of female students in medical school, so the Royal College of Surgeons wanted to offer an intimate look at surgical life to inspire the next generation.
Miss Ong said: “The curators were keen on highlighting different aspects of surgery and people from different backgrounds. Surgery is a hard career, but they wanted to show role models of women who for years were anomalies. It makes visible the constant adjustments we make to be able to do our work. You can come from any background and be a surgeon.
“I was overwhelmed when I saw the portrait. I didn’t clock how big an impact it would have, it’s been surreal. I was pleased to see it with Bethany and I wish my dad could have seen it as he was my biggest supporter.”
The portraits, being displayed in London’s Hunterian Museum, are set in environments reflective of their work and the majority were taken by NHS staff, including many specialist clinical photographers from each hospital.
Both Evelyn and Bethany travelled to London to see the exhibition in the museum.
Bethany said: “It was an honour to be a part of such a special event celebrating the amazing work carried out by female surgeons. To be invited to such a prestigious venue and to meet people from the different specialities and hospitals across the country. It was a pleasure to photograph Miss Ong and to showcase the environment she works in.”
The exhibition is on until 18 April and is free to enter. Find out more information on the Hunterian Museum website.