Auckland paediatrician Jin Russell has an intimate working knowledge of New Zealand's health system – and its inequalities – through her research and work at Starship Hospital.
She chats to Anna Thomas about summer road trips and her favourite books, podcasts and music.
Dr Jin Russell. Photo: Supplied
Jin's favourite destination for a summer road trip is the historic Northland township of Russell, where she and her family stay at Russell Cottages and eat fish and chips at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel.
"It feels historic and contemporary all in one go. It's a beautiful unspoiled bit of the country."
In the backseat of a road trip, she'd take long New Zealand writer Patricia Grace and English writer and comedian Stephen Fry.
"I just feel like you could take him anywhere and have a really good time. And he's always up for a laugh."
Jin's parents grew up in rural Malaysia and are both doctors. She knew by the age of five she wanted to be one, too.
On her first day working in the children's ward at Middlemore Hospital, she knew paediatrics was her "calling".
"I love talking to children and I love thinking about their development."
Healthcare professionals who work with children are very conscious of the social factors that often impact their health, Jin says, and we need more focus on how decision-making can affect the lives of children growing up in poverty.
"There is work being done but we really need to think about children who are growing up with not as much. We need to think about children who are growing up without as many resources and keep our attention on them."
Jin Russell recommends:
Books
A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough
Preventable: How a Pandemic Changed the World & How to Stop the Next One by Devi Sridhar
Podcasts
"These two ladies, who are in their 20s, I just take my hat off to them. They are clever and honest and witty and intelligent and they are navigating investing and finances in their 20s with so much thoughtfulness and intelligence and heart … We don't often hear young Asian women speaking about financial issues and economics and it is so refreshing to listen to them."
New York Times journalist Ezra Klein is a genuinely curious person who asks fantastic questions of his highly intelligent guests, Jin says. (She recommends his conversations with Margaret Atwood and Alison Gopnik)
"It's not just that you're learning content, you're actually having modelled to you as you listen to this podcast how to be curious and what kind of posture you can in your learning as a grown-up. It is fantastic."
Music
Jin and her husband have discovered many new musicians, such as British singer YEBBA, via Tiny Desk - a live concert series by the American public radio station NPR.
