Progress in neurosurgery: Contributions of women neurosurgeons in Asia and Australasia

At the end of the first 100 years of neurosurgery as a specialty, it is appropriate to look back and then imagine the future. As neurosurgery celebrates its first century, the increasing role of women neurosurgeons is a major theme. This article documents the early women pioneers in neurosurgery in Asia and Australasia. The contributions of these trailblazers to the origins, academics, and professional organizations of neurosurgery are highlighted. The first woman neurosurgeon of the region, Dr. T.S. Kanaka of India, completed her training in 1968, not long after the trailblazers in Europe and North America. She heralded the vibrant communities of neurosurgical women that have developed in the vast and diverse nations of the region, and the many formal and informal groups of women in neurosurgery that have introduced and promoted talented women in the profession. Contributions of women neurosurgeons to academic medicine and society as a whole are briefly highlighted, as are their challenges in this male-dominated specialty. The region is home to many deeply conservative societies; in fact, some nations in the region have not yet trained their first woman neurosurgeon. The fortitude of these individuals to achieve at the highest levels of neurosurgery indicates great potential for future growth of women in the profession, but also demonstrates the need for initiatives and advocacy to reach the full potential of gender equity.