Dr. Maureen Rogers, the first Australian pediatric dermatologist

Such a quote is apt for Maureen Rogers (nee McGhee), the first Australian pediatric dermatologist. Fame and accolades have never inspired her. For Maureen, commitment to the well-being of her patients, her students, and her family, and thus her commitment to service to all, has been her driving motivation. Maureen was born in Scotland in 1942, an only child to nonmedical parents. From ages 7 to 11, she lived in Australia, a relaxed sunny fragment of her childhood. Returning to the United Kingdom and to a strict English boarding school was a shock, but one that instilled a work ethic that served her well throughout her career. During a particularly dreary sermon in a local seventh-century church, she suddenly decided that medicine was to be her career path, and she did not veer from this decision. Her family then relocated back to Australia, andMaureen entered the faculty of medicine at the University of Sydney, graduating in 1966. Maureen had planned to pursue a career in anesthetics, but during her first residency year, she met a widowed ophthalmologist, Peter Rogers (Fig. 1). Falling in love andmarrying awidowerwithfive children gaveMaureen, at age 25, an instant family with the resultant weighty responsibilities. She did not have children of her own. Always a pragmatist, she put her anesthetic dreams on hold and assisted Peter with his ophthalmology cases. Life eventually settled into a manageable routine and, yearning for mental stimulation, Maureen decided to recommence her studies. Again, the pragmatist in Maureen prevailed. She chose dermatology, the only specialty that could, at that stage, be pursued without a full-time hospital position. After fulfilling an apprenticeship system, and attending 500 unpaid clinics, Maureen completed her final exams successfully, and in 1974, she became a fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists. She commenced consultant appointments at various hospitals including St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, Mater Misericordiae North Sydney, and the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children (later The Children’s Hospital at Westmead when the hospital relocated, Fig. 2). She also established a busy private practice and soon was treating mostly skin cancers in adults due to Australia’s sunny climate.