She has as many feathers in her cap as the number of degrees and accomplishments she holds in her medical field. Dr. Priya Selvaraj MD, DNB, MCE, MNAMS, FICOG, a senior consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology with specialisation in reproductive medicine and clinical embryology has 25 years of experience and is currently serving as the Director of GG Hospital, Fertility research and women’s specialty center, Chennai.
After an MBBS from Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, she pursued a Master’s Degree in Clinical Embryology and Andrology at the Jones Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School Norfolk, United States of America. She is a fellow of the Indian College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (FICOG) and has published many journals and research presentations at both national and international levels. Dr Priya commissioned India’s first births of a singleton and twins born from frozen thawed oocytes, setting precedence for egg freezing among women for preserving their fertility.
She has also established a successful preimplantation genetic screening and diagnosis program at GG which resulted in South India’s first twin births following this procedure. And that’s not all…she is the name behind India’s first successful birth using surrogacy by extracting eggs from a transpositioned ovary after the patient had undergone womb removal for cancer. Besides many awards, she is also the recipient of the outstanding woman achiever award from Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, the Hindu generational pride award, the Wellness Ambassador Award from Shri Rakesh Sharma (First Indian Astronaut), ISAR Excellence in Embryology Award and ISAR Dronacharya Award. Under her current tenure, she has managed to get an NABH accreditation (first fertility center in Tamilnadu) in the shortest time possible. More than 25,000 plus babies have been born at GG, as a result of assisted reproduction since the year 1989. Here’s an intimate discussion with the doctor of repute…
- What was your dream career in your growing up days? Can you share your journey briefly and how you became passionate about fertility medicine?
My chosen path in my career was heavily influenced by my home environment. Having been raised by two very hardworking doctor parents, the choice became obvious as we literally knew nothing about other vocations nor did we have much choice. We (my brother and I) did spend a considerable time in my maternal grandparent’s home with the realisation of being a famous actor’s grandkids (Gemini Ganesan) as well as the niece and nephew of an equally famous Bollywood star (Rekha) and yet we felt medicine was our calling.
Specialising in fertility medicine was not my first preference as I very much was interested in cardiology and critical care (like my father). But at the same time I also liked surgery. Hence during my housemanship rotations, I had a talk with my mother and then realised that this field may give me all choices of being a clinician, an embryologist and also performing surgery.
The passion grew over the years of my training and clinical practice. Now looking back, I am happy with the choices I have made and the knowledge gained. - What were the initial challenges and how did you overcome them? What challenges do you face in the field of fertility medicine, and how do you overcome them? What motivated you to continue to innovate and specialise in assisted reproductive technology and endoscopic surgery?
The field of medicine is never without any challenges. One faces more failures in order to arrive at success. If you take research or innovations in the lab, there is bound to be trial and error. When your parents are your boss, it means constant scrutiny and the need to prove my ideas. In addition it is never easy undertaking a legacy. It is double the expectations and comparison. However, if one is driven enough and accepts these facts and reality, then the energy and thought process is driven towards innovation, ideas and implementation rather than fear of failure. Thus was born the need to learn about oocyte freezing, work on training, learning from the best and then succeeding in bringing about the first births in the country.
My motivation at this juncture are my patients who hold their faith and belief that one day they will have their chance at parenthood. Thirst for knowledge and learning keeps you motivated enough to try regardless of results. - What have been the biggest highpoints in your journey so far?
My highpoints have always been the times whenever I achieved pregnancies in challenging case scenarios. I usually present these on my social handle to motivate as well as disperse knowledge to women who are undergoing treatment and have failed. Every positive pregnancy is a high and witnessing the birth is the biggest joy. - How do you approach patient care and counseling during fertility treatments? How much has the industry grown and is growing? What are the latest advancements in ART that you find most promising?
Fertility treatments are meant to be highly confidential as it involves a lot of emotional and financial investment which the couple would have already been drained of, family pressure and societal expectations amidst their own diagnosis. All this weighs down the couple that counselling and support during treatment is extremely important. This industry is growing at large, almost like big business ventures. There is a need but there is also a gap in expertise and quality of treatment versus the rapid mushrooming of clinics. One needs to be qualified and get trained in order to offer the best services, hence promoting a healthy learning curve. Well, the fact that you can have embryos tested for a variety of conditions before being placed in the mother’s womb is innovative. The fact that you can freeze fertility by preserving gametes or ovarian tissue is also useful for both social reasons as well in young women suffering from cancer who are at risk of losing their fertility post treatments. - How do you balance ethical considerations and medical responsibilities while providing personalised care to patients?
The practice of medicine is under Hippocratic oath. Ethics is something that is imbibed from day one. In addition one must also be law abiding, especially when it comes to the present practice of fertility. When you are the director of an institution, medical responsibilities and personalised care are the two hallmarks of management. So these are in other words habits that we inculcate as private practitioners and as responsible doctors. - How good are you at planning your time? How do you balance work, other passions and life responsibilities?
My family has taught me the art of time management and to lead an active lifestyle. I have never seen my parents or grandparents idle without engaging in some work or activity. They were all early risers too. There was a period of time in my practice when I was heading towards a burn-out syndrome without knowing much about it. A senior practitioner advised me and I realised that I needed to shift to a healthier work-life balance in order to keep myself fit enough to do justice in both personal and professional life. I have never looked back since. The trick lies in being an early riser, indulging in a fitness routine, choosing social life wisely, and making family time compulsory. At work, one can achieve a good healthcare system by training staff personally, delegating responsibilities and following up for consistency in output. It is all a teamwork at the end of the day- so selecting dedicated personnel and keeping them engaged and updated with current developments and guidelines is very important. - What are some of the ways you stay grounded and take care of yourself? What can women do to make themselves more empowered in their workplaces?
Humility, willingness to learn and letting go of ego comes when you face powers higher than yourself. Nature tames me, Yoga conditions my soul and strength training disciplines me. When you embrace spirituality over religious fervour, you become more accepting and tolerant. For women to feel empowered at their workplace, they must first love their job. They must feel enthused to contribute and build a positive workspace in order to support and feel supported by their peers and colleagues. One cannot have wants, without willing to give. - What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
Women just need to remind themselves of their self-worth. They fail to realise their own potential under societal, peer or personal pressures. Women must raise strong women. Strength and integrity is nurtured by diet, fitness and education. One must also learn to handle success and failure with equal emotions as it is not uncommon when one aspires to be a leader. - What motivates you and keeps you going to continue working in this field and giving your best every day?
They say consistency forms habits and that has led me to who I am today. Motivation stems from passion towards life, work and evolving ideologies. I am a person who believes in change and adaptation provided it feeds your goals and creates a positive ecosystem. - What are your future plans?
I do not overplan but set aside a few achievable goals each year. I am also optimistic and I think it is my most powerful tool given my line of work. My interest is in the field of onco fertility and I hope to contribute to training, research and affordable treatments through my NGO (GG Fertility Research Foundation) to be launched formally for this purpose.