The Annual Scientific Congress (ASC) 2025, held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, was an overwhelming experience for Bangladeshi surgeon and Rowan Nicks Scholarship recipient, Dr Mahnaz Tabassum Prova.

Dr Prova’s journey was made possible by the Rowan Nicks Scholarship program and the generosity of the Nicks family. The late Rowan Nicks OBE, FRACS, AO was one of the most respected Fellows of the College. Established in 1987, the program’s legacy is to ‘teach the teacher to teach others’.

As the most recent Rowan Nicks Scholarship recipient, Dr Prova is focussing on breast cancer cases with supervisor Dr Melissa Bochner and her team at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Her background as one of the pioneer women oncology surgeons in Bangladesh shaped her experience at the ASC.

Dr Prova’s first impressions were the calibre of the overall ASC program and passion for international issues, specifically those addressed at the global health sessions. She was amazed RACS Fellows had the “guts and goodwill to address such sensitive issues” like medical care in war torn Gaza and other politically charged environments.

She was struck by the number of renowned clinicians, enriching insights, and profound knowledge on display. The speakers’ strong engagement with global issues stood in stark contrast to many other surgical societies or conferences she had attended. 

While some of the curriculum did not apply to her country’s current issues, Dr Prova said every piece of information was a learning experience. “We are global surgeons who face similar issues, even when our health systems and approaches are polar opposite. While I can’t copy and paste what a particular surgeon has done, I can take inspiration from an innovative idea and apply it with some modifications to suit my conditions.”

However, the biggest impacts came from the Women in Surgery dinner and the Global Health Rowan Nicks lecture, delivered by Dr Esther Apuahe from Papua New Guinea entitled Challenges in delivering neurosurgical service in a LMIC country.

Dr Prova felt privileged to speak with Dr Apuahe after the lecture. And while their countries’ health ecosystems differ, they bonded over balancing motherhood with their careers.

Likewise, at the Women in Surgery dinner, Dr Prova met prominent and pioneer women surgeons of Australasia. The common thread struck her with all stories starting with: “when I started working as the first woman surgeon in any hospital, there were change rooms only for male surgeons or women nurses”. Even now, designers of modern facilities allocate rooms according to gender stereotypes.

What Dr Prova realised was while women may no longer be explicitly banned from career opportunities, indistinct yet powerful biases persisted across different countries and epochs. All women surgeons had to begin by simply requesting a women's change room, and for those who are mothers, the challenges are even greater. 

As an Assistant Professor and mother of a toddler, her biggest struggle was the choice and parity between motherhood and the Rowan Nicks Scholarship.

Her message to aspiring mothers who wish to strive for a career in health is: “We understand it is very painful, but it is worth it. Also, it’s ok if you choose not to do it. But if you do choose this path, fight the mom guilt, and know you are not alone in feeling or pursuing this.”

For Dr Prova, her moment of pride was being a part of the ASC and RACS’ involvement with world health and international focus. She will build on her learning from the ASC and the Australian health system to develop better management of breast cancer cases and early detection methods in Bangladesh. She also intends to establish a long-term collaboration with RACS.

Dr Prova expressed her gratitude for the previous Rowan Nicks convenor Associate Professor Hamish Ewing, Dr. Melissa Bochner’s mentorship, and the invaluable opportunity the Rowan Nicks Scholarship has provided.