90 | Dr. Monique Mackenzie on shifting specialties, whānau & dermatology

Dr. Monique Mackenzie (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) studied medicine at The University of Otago in New Zealand and graduated in 2006.  She has trained extensively throughout New Zealand and joined a Tauranga private practice after recently completing her specialist dermatology training at University Hospitals Birmingham, United Kingdom and Brisbane Skin, Australia. She is the first and only Māori dermatologist in Aotearoa. She is a scholarship recipient of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and co-founder of the New Zealand Dermatology Registrar Group.  She has presented at a number of academic meetings including the Royal Society of Medicine, London. She is a mother of three children and passionate about her work. Her down-to-earth nature and vast experience ensures her patients have the best evidence-based care covering a full range of skin conditions including skin cancer, inflammatory skin conditions and cosmetic dermatological concerns. 

In this episode, we discuss the journey shifting from finishing her GP fellowship, to starting as a medical registrar again. We talk about her love for dermatology, the prerequisites for training, the mahi and exams involved, subspecialising in Moh's surgery, the balance between public and private sectors, job opportunities for dermatologists and its overlap with plastics. We unpack the responsibilities and opportunities as the first and only Māori dermatologist in Aotearoa. We discuss further her background growing up in a single parent household and her rurality. We also discuss starting a whānau during medical school, and returning from parental leave.