Life in Her Hands: The Inspiring Story of a Pioneering Female Surgeon

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Afterwards I said: ‘Put your clothes on and we’ll have a chat’ and he said: ‘When will I see Professor Mansfield? They have the knowledge and skills to maintain the integrity of a patient’s cardiovascular system during the course of the procedure.

Life in Her Hands: The Inspiring Story of a Pioneering Female

I’ve worked with some wonderful anaesthetists and I’ve always been grateful for how they ensure patients are well looked after. I started the Women in Surgical Training initiative at the Royal College of Surgeons to encourage and support more women who wished to pursue the specialty. In 1993, I was appointed professor of surgery at St Mary’s Hospital and became the UK’s first female professor of surgery.Averil Mansfield, MBE, retiring professor of vascular surgery at St Mary's hospital in London, gives all the answers you don't expect. University of Liverpool graduate Averil Mansfield CBE has published the inspiring story of her journey to become the UK’s first-ever female vascular surgeon and first female Professor of surgery. Her parents spent years trying to deter their headstrong daughter from pursuing an ambition sparked at the age of eight as she thumbed through medical books in her local library. It's certainly not the most popular speciality for girls, and this is why the college is so keen to encourage women to at least think about surgery as a career and not just dismiss it as something for men.

University of Liverpool alumna publishes story of her career

Averil's account shines light on a medical and societal world that has changed beyond measure, but which - as she shows through her experiences - still has a long way to go for the women finding their place within it. Mansfield’s gratitude to the supportive colleagues and superiors she encountered – first at Liverpool’s Broadgreen Hospital and later at Hillingdon Hospital and St Mary’s Paddington, in London – was magnified when she heard evidence given to the Royal College of Surgeons Working Party on discrimination in surgery in 2021. Although we were producing lots of female medical students, we were not producing lots of female surgeons,” says Mansfield.Averil’s compelling account shines light on a medical and societal world that has changed beyond measure, but which – as she shows through her experiences – still has a long way to go for the women finding their place within it. I suppose what I always wanted was to reach the point where it was perfectly normal and unremarkable for surgeons to be female, and I believe at last, we are well on the way to achieving that.