On International Women’s Day we are very proud to see Carin van Doorn (former Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit) celebrated as one of the inspirational women surgeons in a new portrait exhibition at Hunterian Museum, London at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
The exhibition ‘Insight: Portraits of Women in Surgery’ shines a spotlight on women in surgery working across the UK today.
Recently retired, Carin worked in Leeds from 2013, where she led the Congenital Cardiac Surgery Team and operated on thousands of children, young people and adults affected by congenital heart disease. Her work had a profound impact on so many patients and families across the region and at CHSF we are so very proud of her!
Carin said:
“As a surgeon, I have worked with many outstanding surgical colleagues, both male and female. It cannot be denied though, that female surgeons are still very under-represented and that surgery is not always seen as a career that can be achieved by women. I hope this exhibition contributes to changing those perceptions.”
Carin’s portrait was taken by LTHT Clinical Photographer Charlotte Marsh, who attended the launch earlier in the year. Charlotte said:
“Carin has had an extraordinary career and it was a privilege to capture her portrait. Women have historically been underrepresented in both surgery and photography, so exhibitions like this feel important. Seeing so many powerful portraits of inspirational women together was incredibly inspiring. It was also fantastic that the museum chose to involve medical photographers in the project, recognising the insight we bring from understanding the clinical environment and the culture of healthcare.”
You can read more about the exhibition here.
Happy International Women’s Day to all our inspirational female colleagues and patients!
📸 Photographs courtesy of the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
After more than 30 years in congenital cardiac surgery and over a decade leading the team at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit (LCHU), Carin van Doorn OBE retired at the end of 2025.
After dedicating her life to children’s cardiac care, we want to ensure that Carin’s legacy at Leeds lives on after she retires. You can help us do just that by donating to the ‘Because of Carin’ appeal.
To find out more about the ‘Because of Carin’ fundraising appeal, click here.
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