Women in Science Celebration: Interview with Dr. Bhama Ramkhelawon

Tell us a little bit about yourself
I am an Assistant Professor of  Surgery and Cell Biology at New York University Langone Medical Center. I direct, mentor, train a team of diverse scientists to address specific questions regarding diseases affecting the vasculature such as aortic aneurysms. I am one of few women of minority  background to hold  such a position in a clinical department. 
You can read more about my research program and interest here: ncomms-10yr-ecr-ramkhelawon/
I won numerous awards including Académie de Médecine excellence thesis prize, UNESCO/L’OREAL women in science international rising talent award, the American Heart Association early career investigator award and recently the French-American Foundation Young Leaders award. I also participated in several events advocating for women in science.

---

'Women, as men should not have to MAKE the choice to focus on climbing their career ladder or decide to start a family (...) There is still a long road to ride.'

What are your thoughts on the pressure that women face in having to make a choice between starting a family and progressing their career?
​
Women, as men should not have to MAKE the choice to focus on climbing their career ladder or decide to start a family. Women, as men, should be able to do BOTH. Constraint of age, put unnecessary time pressure on women to conceive- this is unfortunately the biological effects of aging on the female body. Can we fix this? I think so. Science and technology has made so much progress that women can benefit from. Let’s imagine a scenario- all women in their twenties are offered the opportunity to freeze their eggs. Make a pause on aging through technology. Relieve the stress. Move on with their career. Decide to use the conserved eggs when they are ready OR if they would like to later on. Actually, whether to have children is the choice women should MAKE unpressured by time, social eye and biological differences between male and female anatomy. The reproductive system of women is very complex and understudied. Men and Women are biologically different. But alas, many of social, economical and medical decisions are still based solely on men neglecting female attributes. For example, for more than two decades now, there is an oral  treatment for erectile dysfunction but we still don’t understand what is and how to treat  endometriosis. It is not a fight between men and women-it  is  simply   called - GENDER EQUALITY. There is still a long road to ride. I think we will probably reach equality between gender in science when we will start asking man the same question about family and career.  


What are the things that keep you motivated in your everyday life? Do you have any daily ritual that helps you stay consistently motivated and balanced?

Being a scientist comes with its own trail of stress and challenges. But there are some unique moments that nourish my drive as a scientist. Those Einstein moments-at a microscale level. Where you get to perform an experiment to address a question-and it works. Feels fantastic. Feels like the first bite of ice cream on a hot summer day. But next minute you are thinking about the next question. I have similar passion about many unknowns and unexplained events in our everyday lives. My head is full of questions and I love to experiment. I am excited about new and many adventures in life. Managing, directing and mentoring the next generation of scientists cultivates my motivation. Developing ideas in a diverse and inclusive team sustains my enthusiasm. Promoting women and underrepresented communities in science is very gratifying. 

'Promoting women and underrepresented communities in science is very gratifying.'

What advice would you give yourself if you were starting your career today? What would you say to encourage other women to persevere  in their career path?

The same things I did a couple of years ago. Be strong, bold, brave, passionate, hard working, smart, learn the best from the best- be THE woman. Never let someone else tell you who you are. Learn to know and define yourself-all of yourself-from brain to feet.
The fastest route is not always the straight one. Identify your strength and use it to push yourself forward and fight your weaknesses. More advice from junior investigators here:
​https://www.navbo.org/resources/lessons-learned

'Never let someone else tell you who you are. Learn to know and define yourself-all of yourself-from brain to feet. The fastest route is not always the straight one.'