“It is a privilege to work with children. I work with very sick children and it is a joy to be able to make them better, often giving them a second chance in life.”

Professor Mignon McCulloch always knew that she wanted to be either a veterinarian or a paediatrician, working with vulnerable populations.  She did try adult medicine for a short while, but knew it wasn’t for her.  She is currently on the councils of two large international children’s organisations, as Executive Council of the IPNA (International Paediatric Nephrology Association) and President-elect for the IPTA (International Paediatric Transplant Association). She is planning to show that African appropriate paediatric care and developing local centres of excellence in Africa is possible.

Prof McCulloch chose to work with children as they are mostly unwell due to no fault of their own. They hold families together and a sick child can impact every member of their family.  She is a remarkable woman who works tirelessly with children who sometimes even need organ transplants, so helping them through this process and sending them home is very rewarding.  Healing a child is like healing a family for her.

“I have been privileged to be involved in training many junior doctors including over twenty-five kidney and PICU specialists who have returned to their own countries in Africa to set up medical units in these fields. As a result, I have enjoyed doing extensive outreach in Africa by supporting these doctors in their home environments and salute them for their quest of knowledge and courage. We have also started training teams of doctors and nurses in managing children with kidney failure and how to support them if they need dialysis to save their lives, all through the Saving Young Lives Program.”

Prof McCulloch has two main concerns about healthcare in South Africa.  Firstly, children and adolescents are often not seen as a priority and this is an important issue to address and to advocate on behalf of them.  Secondly, we should always be aiming for excellence in our own setting to allow the best care for the health of children.

“We are very privileged to have the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in our city.  It is truly a centre of excellence with incredibly dedicated staff at every level including teams of people who enable children to receive world class care in an African setting.  The Hospital also provides African medical, nursing and allied health staff a high level of training which is then practiced in their home settings. This is only possible through the collaboration of the government and The Children’s Hospital Trust who facilitate generous donations to make the Hospital the institution that it is.”

Prof McCulloch spends the free time that she has jogging, cycling and even occasionally sea kayaking or surfing. She also loves travelling and meeting colleagues across the world who work with sick children in the same field.  “Mindfulness is a good way to take a few minutes out of a normal working day and I am the owner of two badly behaved kittens…which definitely keep me grounded.”

Professor Mignon McCulloch

MBBCh DCH DTM&H FRCP(UK) FCP(Paeds)

PICU Consultant & Paediatric Nephrologist

Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital