IT'S a case of being torn between two lovers, but instead of choosing one, Dr Melodee Melbourne was able to have the best of both worlds by becoming a gynaecologist so she could help people, and an artist who replicates nature with her brush and canvas.
"From I was a child, I was always interested in the Arts and also the Sciences, so there was always that mix," said the Mandeville-based doctor.
Dr Melodee Melbourne
"I think a bit of my mother was pretty influential in terms of the Arts and therefore certain hobbies that I developed, I think I patterned it maybe a bit off of her. But in terms of medicine -- when I was a teenager, my best friend's mother was a nurse at the hospital, so I used to go to the hospital with her and I quite enjoyed it and found it fascinating and so from I was about 14, I wanted to do medicine."
Dr Melbourne recalls how her mother would not only paint, but design creative pieces using embroidery. She was also a seamstress, and loved to bake and design cakes.
"She used to sew a lot and because of that, I made my first dress at eight years old and then when she realised that I could sew my own clothes, she only guided me. I still do that as a hobby. I can't find time to do it for others except for like my close friends. Most of them, I made their wedding dresses." Dr Melbourne shared.
But while her mother was confined to mostly taking care of the home and children, Dr Melbourne, like many modern-day women, wanted both a family and a career, and so by age 25 she was able to have her three sons and her first degree in medicine.
"Looking back I don't know how I did it, but I did it," she said.
Thanks to a strong family support system, she was able to raise stable children while pursuing her studies.
"I never saw child rearing really as a burden, I think I grew up so to speak with my children and had to ride bicycles with them and play football and run up and down and do many things. So it was enjoyable in many ways," she said.
The fact that medicine was a male-dominated field when she entered in the 1980s was in no way a deterrent to Dr Melbourne pursuing her dreams. In 1985, she started her post graduate studies so she could get more specialised training to become an OBGYN.
"I wanted something that had a bit of general surgery in it, as well as the other disciplines of medicine, so I found OBGYN had a fair mix, so I decided to do that," she explained.
Dr Melbourne has worked at the University Hospital of the West Indies and Mandeville Regional Hospital where she was head of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department from 1994 until she went on her pre-retirement leave this year. Now that she is entering retirement, the doctor has more time on her hands to paint and travel, another one of her hobbies. She has already visited India, most of Europe, Russia, the Scandinavian countries, Canada and nearly half of the states in America. She now wants to go to South America and China.
Another thing on Dr Melbourne's list of things to do is to have an art show to sell some of her paintings. This was something she was not able to do in the past because her love for art pieces made it difficult for her to part with them.
She still continues as an associate lecturer at UWI, while she operates her own private practice and offers voluntary service at Mandeville Hospital.
"It has been satisfying and rewarding in many ways. I think service to your country is extremely important and so its a good way in which you can do that, because I have worked for most of my life in the public hospital system as well as starting a private practice," she said of her job.
"From I was a child, I was always interested in the Arts and also the Sciences, so there was always that mix," said the Mandeville-based doctor.
Dr Melodee Melbourne
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"I think a bit of my mother was pretty influential in terms of the Arts and therefore certain hobbies that I developed, I think I patterned it maybe a bit off of her. But in terms of medicine -- when I was a teenager, my best friend's mother was a nurse at the hospital, so I used to go to the hospital with her and I quite enjoyed it and found it fascinating and so from I was about 14, I wanted to do medicine."
Dr Melbourne recalls how her mother would not only paint, but design creative pieces using embroidery. She was also a seamstress, and loved to bake and design cakes.
"She used to sew a lot and because of that, I made my first dress at eight years old and then when she realised that I could sew my own clothes, she only guided me. I still do that as a hobby. I can't find time to do it for others except for like my close friends. Most of them, I made their wedding dresses." Dr Melbourne shared.
But while her mother was confined to mostly taking care of the home and children, Dr Melbourne, like many modern-day women, wanted both a family and a career, and so by age 25 she was able to have her three sons and her first degree in medicine.
"Looking back I don't know how I did it, but I did it," she said.
Thanks to a strong family support system, she was able to raise stable children while pursuing her studies.
"I never saw child rearing really as a burden, I think I grew up so to speak with my children and had to ride bicycles with them and play football and run up and down and do many things. So it was enjoyable in many ways," she said.
The fact that medicine was a male-dominated field when she entered in the 1980s was in no way a deterrent to Dr Melbourne pursuing her dreams. In 1985, she started her post graduate studies so she could get more specialised training to become an OBGYN.
"I wanted something that had a bit of general surgery in it, as well as the other disciplines of medicine, so I found OBGYN had a fair mix, so I decided to do that," she explained.
Dr Melbourne has worked at the University Hospital of the West Indies and Mandeville Regional Hospital where she was head of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department from 1994 until she went on her pre-retirement leave this year. Now that she is entering retirement, the doctor has more time on her hands to paint and travel, another one of her hobbies. She has already visited India, most of Europe, Russia, the Scandinavian countries, Canada and nearly half of the states in America. She now wants to go to South America and China.
Another thing on Dr Melbourne's list of things to do is to have an art show to sell some of her paintings. This was something she was not able to do in the past because her love for art pieces made it difficult for her to part with them.
She still continues as an associate lecturer at UWI, while she operates her own private practice and offers voluntary service at Mandeville Hospital.
"It has been satisfying and rewarding in many ways. I think service to your country is extremely important and so its a good way in which you can do that, because I have worked for most of my life in the public hospital system as well as starting a private practice," she said of her job.
