Jean Mary Sandel (26 December 1916 – 4 November 1974) was a New Zealand surgeon, and the first New Zealand woman to be made a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1947.
Jean Sandel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 December 1916 Gisborne, New Zealand |
| Died | 4 November 1974 New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | University of Otago |
| Known for | first female New Zealand Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons |
Early life
editSandel was born in Gisborne, East Coast, New Zealand on 26 December 1916, though she grew up in Taumaranui.[1] She attended New Plymouth Girls High School where she was head girl[1][2] and dux in 1932 and 1933.[3]
At the University of Otago medical school she won a number of prizes: the Senior Scholarship in Medicine 1936; the Scott Memorial Medal 1936; the Fowler Scholarship 1937; the A.F.J. Mickle prize 1938; the William Ledingham Christie Medal in applied anatomy 1938; the New Zealand Graduates’ Clinical Prize 1938.[4] Her 5th year dissertation was on the health and living conditions of Māori in the King Country.[5] She graduated MBChB in 1939.[6]
Career
editOn completing her degree Sandel worked as a surgeon at Wellington Hospital before going to London to do postgraduate training and work as a surgical registrar.[1] In 1947 Sandel was the first New Zealand woman to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.[1][2][7] She returned to New Zealand in late 1949.[8] In 1950 she took up a surgical position at New Plymouth Hospital where she became Director of Surgery in 1964.[1][2][3] She was known for her technical ability in surgery and knowledge of surgical anatomy.[1]
She was made a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1957.[2]
As well as her professional achievements she also encouraged other young women through the Federation of University Women. She also gardened and followed sports.[1] She belonged to the Presbyterian church and left it bequests in her will.[3]
Sandel never married and died in New Plymouth on 4 November 1974.[1][4]
Legacy
editA number of places in New Plymouth are named after Sandel. A Sandel Memorial window at St Andrews Presbyterian Church in New Plymouth was dedicated in 1975 and a Jean Sandel Memorial Garden was created at the hospital beside the chapel.[3] The Jean Sandel Retirement Village is named after her.[9] A portrait of Sandel, painted by artist Craig Primrose, was unveiled at the retirement village in 2021.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Hadlow, Victor. "Jean Mary Sandel". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Sandel, Jean Mary (1916 - 1974)". livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Sandel, Dr Jean". Puke Ariki Collection Online. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ a b Maxwell, Margaret D (1990). Women doctors in New Zealand: an historical perspective, 1921-1986. Auckland, N.Z.: IMS (N.Z.). pp. 87, 211, 214. ISBN 978-0-473-00798-0. OCLC 25456512.
- ^ Sandel, Jean M (1938). Te Rohe Potae its native people in sickness & in health. OCLC 976179199.
- ^ "Graduate roll". The Early Medical Women of New Zealand. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Current Notes". Press. 2 December 1947. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Current Notes". Press. 9 November 1949. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Jean Sandel Retirement Village, New Plymouth; Ryman Healthcare". www.rymanhealthcare.co.nz. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Pioneering Taranaki surgeon Jean Sandel remembered with new portrait". Stuff. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.