The Inspiring Journey of Dr. Rini Kuruvilla from Humble Beginnings to Medical Mastery
Welcome to AllAroundWorlds.com! Today, we are pleased to feature an exclusive interview with Dr. Rini Kuruvilla, a distinguished gynecologist and laparoscopic surgeon based in Dubai. Dr. Kuruvilla's remarkable journey from her humble beginnings in India to her current practice is a testament to her dedication, resilience, and passion for teaching.
With over 15 years of clinical experience, Dr. Kuruvilla has dedicated her career to spreading knowledge and skills in minimal-access surgery, especially targeting doctors from low-income countries in Asia and Africa. She has trained over 500 doctors globally and is the proud owner of the School of Endo Skills, approved by the Healthcare division of the National Skill Development Council of India for its unique training concepts.
Dr. Kuruvilla's goal is to ensure the provision of minimal access surgery to even the most underserved populations by training, teaching, and treating with empathy. Her passion for imparting knowledge on disease prevention and healthy living further underscores her role as a beacon of knowledge and empathy.
In this interview, you'll discover the inspiring story of Dr. Kuruvilla's career, including the challenges she faced and her innovative approach to laparoscopic training. Her insights into balancing professional and personal life, her advocacy for women's empowerment in the workplace, and her commitment to making a difference in the world are invaluable lessons for anyone striving for success.
Early Life and Background
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla shares that she was born into a family of working women, especially teachers, and was fortunate to have the proper direction and support to grow. Her basic education was in her mother tongue, Malayalam, in a modest school run by the Catholic Church in Vaikom, a place renowned for its culture, communism, and historic, religious, and scenic beauty. She was among the rare individuals in her native place who chose to build a career before choosing a partner and family.
Growing up in a joint family, she learned the importance of mutual care and support. This environment gave her the freedom to choose against the socially accepted norms regarding the age of marriage, a strong will against dowry, and a plan to prioritize her career.
Overcoming Challenges
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla explains that choosing to be a doctor was a significant step, different from her entire family's choice. The first challenge was convincing herself to leave her town for a bigger city full of strangers when she joined MBBS. The next challenge was dealing with the low marks in her first year of MBBS, a humbling experience that taught her to accept life's ups and downs. As the sole member of her large family to pursue medical education, she faced moments of confusion and desperation that even her family and friends struggled to address.
After becoming a doctor, she subconsciously searched for a way to teach and find purpose. She joined a medical college to teach and a palliative care team to provide home care and support to cancer patients, especially those in their final stages, children with cancer, and those with HIV. Choosing to become a gynecologist was a shift from breaking bad news to sharing happy news. However, she realized that the knowledge and skills she acquires are meaningful only if she imparts them to others. The best way to do so is by teaching.
When she decided to start her own venture, the first thing she trained herself and her team in was positive thinking and a progressive attitude, acceptance of criticism, and hard work in the right direction. This approach helps them handle work pressure, high demands, and even fake reviews and targeted cyber attacks.
Business Overview and Competitive Edge
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla expresses that she does not see herself as running a business. What she is doing is what she believes she knows best and loves the most. At RK School of Endo Skills, they believe that learning is the primary process.
They help learners simplify the steps for themselves. There is no place for arrogance, setting limits, or negativity. Despite being in the early stages of growth, they have trained over a thousand doctors, including gynecologists and surgeons, through their various training programs, workshops, and CMEs in the past two years.
They offer high-quality training in laparoscopy, ensuring that even someone new to the concept can understand, learn, and acquire the skill and passion for what they teach. They have never turned away anyone seeking knowledge, even those who cannot afford other expensive training programs. Their training takes place in classrooms, labs, and hospital operating theaters, ensuring that the asepsis of the environment, patient privacy, and ethical aspects of the process are well balanced.
Growth and Expansion Plans
Dr Rini: Currently, we provide training in minimal access surgery, including courses in laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, endoscopy, and cystoscopy. In the coming years, we plan to introduce courses in cosmetic gynecology, robotic surgery, and Basic Life Support training for doctors, medical students, and nurses.
Balancing Personal and Professional Life
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla explains that she uses time boxing and avoids a strict, monotonous timetable. She believes in doing things she likes in a way that she can enjoy the process mindfully. Balancing work, family, and personal time does not feel like an unmet desire.
She shares that she is blessed with a supportive family, including her 10-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, who share the family chores.
She believes she has not sacrificed anything in her life. Her choices have always aimed to keep her happy and satisfied without negatively affecting those around her. Sacrificing often leads to dissatisfaction in personal and professional life due to unmet expectations.
Organizational Support for Women
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla shares that as a gynecologist, she has always felt heard, understood, accepted, and respected by her present employer. As a woman in business, she has faced sarcasm, criticism, and negative marketing, especially when resisting attempts to harass or exploit her skills.
Currently, she is part of a team that accepts, respects, and understands her. She expresses gratitude to Dr. Rahul Pandey, Dr. Ashish Bens, and Dr. Kishan Rao for their trust and acceptance.
However, she highlights that not all organizations are supportive. Some still have disparities in pay scales for women and inadequately address issues related to pregnancy, maternity, and menstruation. In 2024, women still face demands for sexual favors, bullying, teasing, and body shaming in various parts of the world.
Strategies for Women's Success
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla emphasizes that the first step for a woman is to have complete faith in herself, regardless of what others say. She encourages spending time on self-care and self-improvement, learning and practicing at least one thing one enjoys.
She advises not to compare or compete with others but to focus on fine-tuning oneself. Quality work and efficiency are key to reaching prominent roles in a progressive organization. If one feels limited despite best efforts, she suggests reconsidering both work strategy and the organization’s attitude.
Leadership Challenges
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla shares that the most challenging barrier has been targeted marketing, reaching the right people, and creating trust and impact in a concept-based field with a limited population. She notes that this hurdle is not specific to being a woman.
Inspirational Figures
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla shares that her grandmother inspires her, as she ensured all her daughters received education and jobs to be self-dependent. The women in her family, including her mother and aunts, have motivated her to stay focused, strong, positive, and willing to help other women stay motivated.
Personal Time and Hobbies
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla shares that she can often be found in her office on Saturdays, as she works on weekends for her patients' comfort. During her personal time, she enjoys walking alone to think freely. She also makes videos to inspire and inform women or participates in health awareness programs. She ensures she takes care of herself in the best possible way.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla shares that she believes in her potential to succeed and her strength to overcome failures and wrong decisions. She acknowledges that juggling multiple courses and activities simultaneously has sometimes affected the quality of her focus.
Her greatest strength is recognizing that there are many things she does not know, which motivates her to continuously learn new things. For instance, during the COVID lockdowns, she completed an MBA, training in cosmetic gynecology, endoscopy, infertility, radiology, yoga, video making, public speaking, and basic AI.
Defining Passion and Goals
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla shares that her passion and mission have always been to teach. She believes in sharing knowledge and skills with maximum effort and quality. Whenever she learns something new, she ensures it is understood with clarity so that she can teach it with the right quality.
Achievements and Recognitions
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla shares that she has been blessed with acceptance and recognition from the early stages of her career. The biggest achievement, she believes, is that people remember her and count on her opinion in health and medical care matters. The recent recognition she received was the UAE Mastermind Award for Outstanding Laparoscopic Surgeon in February 2024.
Advice for Aspiring Leaders
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla advises doing things one loves, not out of compulsion or influence. She emphasizes working with dedication and empathy towards those being served, and believing in oneself. She encourages taking criticism positively but ignoring negativity and sarcasm, and moving forward with faith in oneself and the work process.
Dr. Rini Kuruvilla advises being empathetic towards patients and those who support the process. She emphasizes showing compassion towards those in need and not hesitating to take up tasks that seem difficult, as difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations.
Thank you, Dr. Rini Kuruvilla, for sharing your incredible journey and valuable insights with us. Your dedication to teaching, healthcare, and women's empowerment is truly inspiring.
Stay tuned to AllAroundWorlds.com for more inspiring stories from leaders around the globe.
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