Jean Mary Sandel (26 December 1916 – 4 November 1974) was a New Zealand surgeon, and the first New Zealand woman to be made a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1947.

Early life

Sandel was born in Gisborne, East Coast, New Zealand on 26 December 1916, though she grew up in Taumaranui. She attended New Plymouth Girls High School where she was head girl and dux in 1932 and 1933. At the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

medical school she won a number of prizes: the Senior Scholarship in Medicine 1936; the Scott Memorial Medal 1936; the Fowler Scholarship 1937; the A.F.J. Mickle prize 1938; the William Ledingham Christie Medal in applied anatomy 1938; the New Zealand Graduates’ Clinical Prize 1938. Her 5th year dissertation was on the health and living conditions of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

in the

King Country The King Country ( Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from Kawhia Harbour and the town of Ōtorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of th ...

. She graduated MBChB in 1939.

Career

On completing her degree Sandel worked as a surgeon at Wellington Hospital before going to London to do postgraduate training and work as a surgical registrar. In 1947 Sandel was the first New Zealand woman to become a Fellow of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

. She returned to New Zealand in late 1949. In 1950 she took up a surgical position at New Plymouth Hospital where she became Director of Surgery in 1964. She was known for her technical ability in surgery and knowledge of surgical anatomy. She was made a Fellow of the

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) is the leading advocate for surgical standards, professionalism and surgical education in Australia and New Zealand. Known by its common acronym RACS, it is a not-for-profit organisation, supp ...

in 1957. As well as her professional achievements she also encouraged other young women through the Federation of University Women. She also gardened and followed sports. She belonged to the Presbyterian church and left it bequests in her will. Sandel never married and died in New Plymouth on 4 November 1974.

Legacy

A number of places in New Plymouth are named after Sandel. A Sandel Memorial window at St Andrews Presbyterian Church in New Plymouth was dedicated in 1975 and a Jean Sandel Memorial Garden was created at the hospital beside the chapel. The Jean Sandel Retirement Village is named after her. A portrait of Sandel, painted by artist Craig Primrose, was unveiled at the retirement village in 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandel, Jean Mary 1916 births 1974 deaths People from Gisborne, New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors Women surgeons 20th-century New Zealand surgeons Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England New Zealand women surgeons 20th-century New Zealand women medical doctors