At the 2016 Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Dr Ella Nicholas was the proud flag bearer for the Cook Islands team as they marched into the stadium during the opening ceremony.
Four years later, the champion canoeist continues to be a flag bearer for Pacific women, this time in the area of health and medicine.
The Tauranga raised sportswoman finished medical school at Otago University five years ago and currently works at Christchurch Hospital as a general surgeon. She says there are very few Pacific women in her field, and she wants to set an example to show others that it is possible.
“Society says that if you’re a female and a Pacific Islander then it’s going to be hard for you. This attitude limits our ability to achieve our goals. I want to show that with hard work and determination, we can make a difference.”
Dr Nicholas, who represented the Cook Islands at the Rio and London Olympics, will be one of the guest speakers at the next Pasifika Health Leaders Webinar presented by the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA). She will share with the PMA members her journey to becoming a surgeon and aims to inspire the Pasifika students who are currently studying at medical school.
Medicine is in Dr Nicholas’ blood. Her father, Robert, is a GP in Tauranga and her siblings, Bryden and Jane, are also doctors. Despite the family connection, she still doubted herself during her medical training.
“I did not have much confidence in myself and was always questioning if I was good enough. Once I recognised that this was an issue, I decided to ignore it and it made me work harder.”
She says having Pacific role models like her father and Dr Kiki Maoate, the president of the PMA, helped her through her insecurities.
“We’ve got so much health inequity within our Pacific community that it plays a huge role in our social economic status. It makes it easier knowing that other Pasifika doctors have worked tirelessly to improve our health outcomes.”
Dr Nicholas is looking forward to speaking at the webinar and highlight the work of the PMA.
“Medicine is a challenging profession because it’s dominated by a western culture and doesn’t fit into our Pacific culture. We are lucky to have an organisation that supports Pacific medical professionals and helps break down barriers for our people.”
The Pasifika Health Leaders Webinar is on Wednesday, 14 October 2020 at 5pm, with an introduction by president of the PMA, Dr Kiki Maoate and guest speakers Dr.Fiona Perclini and Dr. Maryann Heather. Join in person at various hospital and campus locations or via zoom. Visit www.pacifichealth.org.nz to register.
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Date: Wednesday 30 September