Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nelda Frater. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Nelda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents were exceptional people. They raised 10 children and nurtured everyone of us. Their formula was quite simple. We were told: “(1) You must go to church and love God and (2) You must go to school and learn your lessons well”. They insisted that this was the way to become successful in life.

At age 5 years old, I was taken from Jamaica to live in England. This was traumatic as we were met with hostility. I changed from being carefree to becoming a very anxious child. However, one day my mother sat me on her knees and told me that whatever anyone else may say, she wanted me to know that I was a flower in God’s garden. She explained that the world was simply a big garden and just like when we see a garden that is filled with different flowers in many beautiful colours, my colour was what made me special, beautiful and loved. From that day on, my self-esteem was fixed and immovable. So much so that at age 7 years old, when one of my teachers informed me that the reason I was black was because I was “dirty” and that I should go home and pour bleach over myself so that I could look like him, I knew that he was wrong, even without having to pause for a second to think about the implications of what he had said.

Resilience and nurture were both precious gifts I received from my parents and which lined the path I trod throughout my career.

Nelda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I love the work that I do. As a family doctor, I have the privilege of being an International General practitioner. By that I mean my patients travel to see me from around the world and I also care for those who are closer to home. They enjoy the time I spend in sorting out their problems and the wide network of specialists with whom I work, both in my clinic and within the Harley Street triangle.

Recently, I founded The Independent Medical Faculty (IMF). This is an all-encompassing medical membership organisation. It welcomes doctors, dentists and Allied Healthcare professionals from both the National Health Service and the Independent Sector. It also welcomes medical students and dental students. In essence, it is a virtual hospital and we look forward to welcoming medical practitioners from around the world, with whom we can share knowledge and skills (see imfonline.co.uk).

Some time ago, I travelled to Malawi and was deeply concerned about the lack of clean drinking water for the villagers. Women and children were having to travel three miles (5Km) or more to collect clean water and carry it home in buckets on their heads. I founded The Water Tap Foundation (www.thewatertapfoundation.org) to assist with the problem in isolated villages without clean drinking water. The impact was that women and children could use their time in gaining an education. I recently had proof of that when my neighbour stopped me and said that whilst she was in hospital, the nurse who looked after her on the unit was from Malawi. When she informed the nurse that she supported The Water Tap Foundation, the nurse responded: “Oh, I am a beneficiary of that. They came to my village”. This report made me feel very gratified and delighted. We are currently working in Zambia where there has been an extended period of drought.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Having completed a PhD degree in science and been fortunate enough to discover a missing tetra-peptide from the collagen molecule in samples taken from patients with Brittle Bone Disease, (also known as Osteogenesis imperfecta) , I was set for a career in medical research. However, my eldest brother developed a cancer at the age of 36 years old. I was horrified by the manner in which he and the family were treated. He died 10 months from the date of his diagnosis finally being made. I made the decision to leave science and to re-train to become a medical doctor, one who would care for all peoples and offer them respect whilst protecting their dignity.

I received my offer to study medicine at Oxford University whilst on honeymoon in Kenya. This meant moving from London where we lived, for a period of three years. Our son was born whilst I was still a student and I transferred to Cambridge University to do the clinical part of my training. That was a difficult juggling act to get through with balancing being a mother, wife and student whilst commuting sixty one miles (98 Km) to reach home. However, what you really want to do, you can do.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Early in my life, I recognised that I needed to listen to what my parents advised all of us to do regarding trusting in God and focusing on our studies. It paid off. We were offered careers advice at one of the schools I attended. I was informed that I was best suited to work in Woolworths, a shop which is very similar to Walmart. I changed schools and my chemistry teacher questioned why I was allowed in his lessons when I was better suited to be in a kitchen. When I achieved my PhD in biochemistry, my thoughts went back to him and his comments.