Ulai Trudy Otobed (born 31 December 1941)Glimpses into Pacific Lives: Some Outstanding Women
Northwest Regional Educational Lab is a

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

an physician. In 1965 she became the first Micronesian woman to qualify as a doctor. Also a table tennis player, she won a gold medal in the sport at the

1963 South Pacific Games The 1st South Pacific Games (), also known as Suva 1963, held from 29 August to 9 September 1963 in Suva, Fiji, was the first edition of the South Pacific Games. The multisport games were established to engender bonds of friendship amongst peopl ...

and was national champion of Fiji in three categories.

Biography

Otobed was born in

Aimeliik Aimeliik is an administrative division of the island country of Palau. It is one of the Republic of Palau's 16 states. It has an area of 52 km2 and a population of 334 (census 2015). The state capital is the village of Mongami. The four othe ...

on the Palauan island of

Babeldaob Babeldaob (also Babelthuap) is the largest island in the island nation of Palau. It is in the western Caroline Islands, and the second largest island (after Guam) in the Micronesia region of Oceania. Palau's capital, Ngerulmud, is located on Babel ...

to Berenges Oiterong and Taurengel Otobed, the second of six children. Her brother Rechiuang Demai Otobed went on to become the first Palauan to earn a degree in entomology. She began attending school in

Ngeremlengui Ngeremlengui (also spelled Ngaremlengui) is one of Palau's sixteen states. It has a population of 349 (according to the 2020 census), and is just west of the capital in Melekeok state. Among the 16 states of Palau, it’s the one with the lowest de ...

at the age of six. Between 1953 and 1956 she was a pupil at Palau Intermediate School. She then moved up to Pacific Islands Central School, where she was enrolled between 1956 and 1959. After being accepted into the Central Medical School in Fiji, she attended the Trust Territory School of Nursing until her course began in 1960.Medics in the making
''Micronesian Reporter'' During her time in Fiji she was part of the Fiji table tennis team that won gold at the

. The following year she was Fijian national champion in women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Otobed graduated from the Central Medical School in 1965, also winning numerous awards, including the Principal's Presentation for the top female student, the Glazo-Allenburgs prize for the highest grade average and the British Medical Association gold medal for academic excellence in surgery. She then did a two-year internship at McDonald Memorial Hospital, passing the Trust Territory Medical Board Examinations in 1968. In 1968 Otobed spent six months training in New Zealand, passing the Auckland Hospital Board exam and receiving a diploma in obstetrics in 1969. She returned to New Zealand to study at the Postgraduate School of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

between 1970 and 1973, also working at the

National Women's Hospital National Women's Hospital, founded in 1955, was a public hospital specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology in Auckland, New Zealand. Initially located in Cornwall Hospital it moved to a purpose built building adjacent to Green Lane Hospital, A ...

as a surgeon and registrar. After receiving a diploma in obstetrics and gynaecology, she came back to

Koror Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition of ...

in Palau in 1973 to work at the McDonald Memorial Hospital.People
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', April 1973, p15 Between 1974 and 1976 she attended Mysore Medical College in India, earning a BSc in medicine and surgery. In 1977 she passed the American Examination for Foreign Medical Graduates. After returning to Palau to work as a physician in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Family Planning at McDonald Memorial Hospital, Otobed later became Head of Clinical Services at the national hospital.''Condé Nast's Traveler, Volume 34'', p119 She also served on the Palau National Scholarship Board.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otobed, Ulai 1941 births People from Aimeliik Palauan sportswomen Female table tennis players Palauan physicians 20th-century Palauan women 20th-century Palauan people University of Auckland alumni Living people First women physicians