Every established path begins with someone willing to walk it first.
Every generation that follows owes something to those who had the courage to go before them.
For Zambia, Dr. Patricia Shinondo was one of those trailblazers.
As the country’s first female paediatric surgeon, she entered a field where women were rarely represented and went on to challenge its boundaries. She broke barriers, defied expectations and helped lay the foundations for a new generation of paediatric surgeons.
But her greatest contribution may be that she did not stop at becoming the first.
She recognised that true transformation meant creating opportunities for others.
Following postgraduate training, Zambia’s first female paediatric surgeon went on to pioneer the Paediatric Surgical Unit at Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, where she now serves as Head of Paediatric Surgery.
Through her leadership, she has not only changed the lives of countless children, but also helped build the next generation of surgeons who will carry her vision forward.
Her contribution to surgery extends far beyond her clinical practice, reaching across institutions, disciplines and borders.
As a passionate advocate for Global Surgery, she serves as Vice Chairperson of Women in Surgery Africa and sits on the High-Level Council of the Global Surgery Foundation. She plays a key role in coordinating paediatric surgery training for the Zambia College of Medicine and Surgery (ZACOMS) and contributes to global surgical education as adjunct faculty in the Department of Global Surgery at the University of Cape Town.
Her work as a lecturer, examiner, mentor and researcher further reflects a career dedicated not only to treating disease, but to strengthening the systems and people that make surgical care possible.
For all that she has achieved, the reason Dr. Shinondo chose paediatric surgery is surprisingly uncomplicated. It was the meeting of two passions: the craft of surgery and the privilege of caring for children.
“I enjoy the art of surgery and coupled it with the dream of working with children.”
What keeps her going is equally powerful:
“Helping a child and the challenge each case presents.”
Yet there is much more to Dr. Shinondo than surgery. Away from medicine, she enjoys travelling, reading and exercising—and, unexpectedly, music.
“I love to sing… I’m a professional singer (artist) in my other life!” she jokes, hinting at a passion beyond the operating theatre
Perhaps fittingly, her advice to aspiring paediatric surgeons reflects the same determination that has defined her own journey:
“It will take a lot of work and sacrifice, but it’s worth it.”
She was the first. She broke the barriers. She built the foundations. She opened the way.
Today, we celebrate Dr. Patricia Shinondo—a pioneer, surgeon, mentor, leader and trailblazer whose impact extends far beyond the operating theatre.
Her legacy lives on in the children she has helped, the surgeons she has trained and the generations she continues to inspire.
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