'Be Completely, Utterly Transparent'

WHO: DR. PANKAJ SHRIVASTAV
WHAT: DIRECTOR OF CONCEIVE FERTILITY HOSPITAL; PIONEER IN REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

 How do you typically start your workday?
By switching off the alarm. (just kidding!) At the hospital, I'm greeted by a mountain of emails to answer, an even bigger pile of medical investigations and files, and infinite phone calls to return. I ignore them all and have a cup of tea. Then I ensure the aforementioned tasks are cleared in 20 minutes. I have seconds to spare before I scrub up and head into the theatre to operate on my first patient for the day.
Describe your work in a sentence.
Sperm + Egg = Baby (I've always been mathematically inclined).
What is your #1 personal principle or success mantra at work?
I work solely on the principle of being completely, utterly and wholly transparent with my patients. Patients quickly pick up on when you're trying to mislead them, and so I am very honest with them even about the tiniest aspects. It's not always pleasant, but it's sincere and truthful.
In your workday, what is the one thing you absolutely cannot do without?
My little Tupperware box of walnuts which I nibble on constantly throughout the day; I don't get a lunch break, you see! Coming in a close second is my phenomenal team at Conceive Fertility Hospital.
Most challenging project to date?
Establishing the country's first Infertility Unit in 1991 at Rashid Hospital (Dubai Gynaecology & Fertility Centre). This was a time when the general public was very sceptical about babies being made in tubes, in this unnatural fashion. Not only was it difficult to get the programme going, but also tough to convince people that we weren't creating monsters!
Who's your role model as the perfect professional?
My late father Dr. J. B. Shrivastav, who returned from Cambridge to India to establish the first indigenous vaccine production prog-ramme in Kasauli. During his tenure as director of The Central Research Institute at Kasauli, many new vaccines were produced for the first time and this revolutionised public healthcare in India. My father later went on to become the Director General for Health Services for the whole country, and implemented many public health prog-rammes that are talked about even today.
Your favourite indulgence when you need a break from your work?
Spending time with my babies - Chanel and Elvis (my dogs). They're not my genetic children but are probably more dear to me. That said, my own babies come a close second too.
What is your greatest dream, professionally?
I'm living it: to convert every embryo replaced into a womb into a bouncing bun-dle of joy!