Ealing surgeon celebrated in photographic exhibition
The achievements of a surgeon at Ealing Hospital have been recognised in a unique photographic exhibition in the City of London.
Samantha Tross - the first female black orthopaedic surgeon in the UK - was one of four people featured in Radiating Greatness - stories of black leadership.
Samantha, 50, said: “I apparently told my father I wanted to be a surgeon when I was a little girl. I have no idea where that came from beyond being an avid reader.”
She arrived in the UK from Guyana as an 11 year-old and says boarding school taught her independence and people skills, which both proved indispensable later in life.
Samantha added: “I wasn’t aware I was the first black women to qualify as an orthopaedic surgeon at the time and it has never been an issue from me.
“I was lucky to come from a country - Guyana – where there were black people in positions of authority so don’t think twice about setting my sights high.”
Samantha’s portrait was taken by award-winning artist Franklyn Rogers along with fellow achievers Baroness Valerie Amos, businesswomen Karen Blackett OBE, Dame Vivian Hunt, Dr Sandie Okoro.
The exhibition, which celebrates excellence within the black community, was commissioned by Black Cultural Archives and sponsored by J.P Morgan.
Samantha added: “My advice to any young person, regardless of race, is believe in yourself, and pursue what you really want to be in life.
“It never occurred to me that I couldn’t be what I dreamed of. I simply set my goal and went after it.”