Leaders

Being a gynaecologist is a difficult task. From conceiving to delivery, a gynaecologist has to take care of the whole journey of motherhood. A gynaecologist plays a very crucial role besides the mother in bringing the child to this world. There are a lot of challenges and difficulties that women may face while pregnancy. Motherhood is a wonderful journey and Dr Usha helps the women who are facing difficulty in conceiving. She is a laparoscopic surgeon and a fertility expert. Overall, she takes care of all aspects of a pregnant woman. As a specialist, she handles the whole responsibility, so that the patients do not have to go to multiple specialists. So, if a woman wants to conceive, she should think about the Usha Specialty clinic. It is a dedicated fertility and maternity centre and caters to complete women care. The Women Entrepreneur Team caught up with Dr Usha in a candid conversation about her entrepreneurial journey. Below are some snippets from the conversation.

Take us through your early educational journey and prior industry experience that you bring to the table. What motivated you to venture into obstetrics and gynaecology?

I passed out from Christ College in 2000 as a college topper. I joined the premier institute in Karnataka, BMCRI where I finished my medical education and did my post-graduation from the same college. Then I went to AIIMS Delhi which is the premier institute in India where I got trained in laparoscopy and fertility. That is where my dedicated approach towards patients grew. When I came back to Bangalore in 2014, initially I was freelancing for some time after which I joined as a consultant in BGS Global hospital where I got promoted afterwards. We started a maternity brand and took it to great heights. I was heading the unit there. Then I moved out of the hospital in 2018 and started my clinic in 2017, after which I joined Apollo where I was a full-time consultant. In 2021, I moved to Cloud nine Hospital where my basic work for fertility and laparoscopy started. I believe, it is important to have passion for what you are doing.

What are the various roles & responsibilities that you currently shoulder at Usha Specialty Clinic? What are some of the most challenging aspects of a gynaecologist? How do you overcome them?

I am a multi-specific person. I am a consultant, conduct deliveries, take care of women’s health and do ultrasound scans. Moreover, I do laparoscopic surgeries as well as infertility treatment including IVF. We have more emergencies and night calls. Obstetrics could be easy as well as complicated and it is a challenge sometimes to manage my laparoscopy work. I do ensure to give quality time to my family and children. Patients who have recurring pregnancy losses come to me and go back happily after conceiving. Those with recurrent IVF failures also get treated under me. Also, I have done a lot of complicated laparoscopic surgeries which many doctors have refused.

What have been the most significant milestones that you have achieved so far in your professional journey? What is your guiding leadership philosophy?

My main leadership philosophy is to do good ethical work in this field. I believe that ethical work takes you to great heights. I do not believe in shortcuts. If you take shortcuts you may reach your goal faster but at the end of the day, you will not be satisfied with your work. Hard work and dedication can take you to heights. I always want to be an example to my juniors. A good surgeon knows when to operate, and at the same time when not to operate. I believe if you are good at work, you will eventually make your space.

Concerning covid, we had roller coasters and saw lots of ups and downs. Initially, when the lockdown was imposed it was a shock for us. We did not know what the disease was. I shut down my clinic and was practising only twice a week. We started doing more online consultations. But I always attended emergencies. We did conduct deliveries despite covid and I kept working. But with the second and third waves, we all have learnt to live with it. The only way is to learn to live with the disease because the pandemic will go after multiple waves only. We followed preventive protocols like initially, we would do screening of all patients. At all stages, we kept our patients engaged through our communications. We also started educating them about covid.

As a successful entrepreneur, what would your advice be to young women and girls aspiring to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

I want young ones to have a clear vision of what they want to be and you should work towards it. Stay focused to achieve it. You need to put hard work and dedication in the right direction. Then only you can be a good leader.

Dr Usha B.R. Complete Gynaecologist

Dr Usha helps the women who are facing difficulty in conceiving. Consultant ObGyn, Laparoscopic Surgeon and Fertility Specialist Overall, she takes care of all aspects of a pregnant woman. As a specialist, she handles the whole responsibility, so that the patients do not have to go to multiple specialists.