73 | Dr. Lupe Taumoepeau on legacy, mentorship, transplant & vascular surgery

Dr. Lupe Taumoepeau is a Vascular and Transplant surgeon at Wellington Hospital and Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago. She is the first New Zealand female vascular surgeon and only Pacific Island vascular surgeon in Australasia. She received her fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 2014 after completing training throughout New Zealand and Queensland, Australia. Lupe is actively involved in mentoring Pacific Island students and female junior doctors considering a career in surgery, and has a strong interest in prevocational medical education. Outside of medicine, Lupe enjoys cheering for her son on the side of the soccer field and basketball court, exploring the outdoors with her family and dog and is looking forward to getting back to Tonga once the borders have re-opened.

In this episode, we discuss her journey from her roots in Tonga to transplant and vascular surgery in Wellington. We delve into the importance of mentorship in her life, the legacy she carries from her grandfather, and the cultural values she carries with her in her practice. Finally, we discuss her work in vascular and transplant surgery, and what it feels like to be the first, and only, Pacific Island vascular surgeon. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Lupe Taumoepeau
• 3:33 Finding medicine
• 18:13 Bread and butter of vascular surgery
• 19:35 Transplant surgery
• 26:50 Being a pioneer - is it lonely at the top?
• 32:03 Mentoring
• 38:41 Weaving our cultures into medicine
• 45:33 Patient-centred care