#WCW: Dr. Ann Jayaram
Woman Crush Wednesday.
We love to celebrate female movers and shakers who are successful locally, nationally, internationally, and most importantly, personally.
This week, we are so excited to highlight Bay Area oculoplastic surgeon, Dr. Ann Jayaram. We asked her to share with us her thoughts on success.
How did you get started in your field/career?
Coming from a family of physicians, medicine always appealed to me—but I knew early on that I was interested in the intersection of medicine and aesthetics. I’ve also always been completely fascinated by the eye, so putting the pieces together led me right to my career in oculoplastic surgery!
Biggest "break" thus far and how were you able to achieve it?
I think I’ve been pretty lucky throughout my journey, but I’d have to say having the opportunity to be a Stanford student will always be my life’s big break...Those were four amazing, inspiring, humbling, and exhilarating years! Think I was able to achieve that break simply by working my butt off in high school!
Biggest roadblock and how did you overcome it?
I don’t want to sound cheesy but think that everything in my journey happened for a reason and brought me to where I am today, so very happy for my path. I think I overcome obstacles in life with an adjustment of my attitude and an attempt to think outside the box—but I wouldn’t call anything thus far a full-on roadblock.
Do you have a mentor? If so, how did you find him/her? If not, who do you model your professional goals after?
I do have a mentor, and I #wcw on her every week! Her name is Dr. Katrinka Heher, she is an amazing oculoplastic surgeon in Boston. She was my fellowship preceptor so taught me a lot about surgery, but more importantly, she is a strong, successful, and compassionate woman, so she taught me even more about life. She finds a way to balance work, self, family, and social life better than anyone I know, and I was really lucky to get the chance to learn from her.
If you could tell your younger self one thing to jumpstart her career, what would it be?
Not all careers have to fit some cookie-cutter mold. You can be an artistic doctor, an entrepreneurial lawyer, a mathematical fashion designer—find a way to make your career fit your personality—success is bound to follow.
Ann Jayaram, M.D. is a fellowship-trained oculoplastic facial and reconstructive surgeon with a board certification in ophthalmology. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Biological Sciences an a B.A. in Communication igniting her passion in the intersection between health issues and journalism. She returned to her hometown of Chicago to obtain her medical degree at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, went on to complete an ophthalmology residency at Northwestern University, and finally completed a one year intensive cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery fellowship at Tufts University’s New England Eye Center in Boston. She now returns back to the Bay Area to provide superior cosmetic and medical surgical eyelid services, cheer for Stanford football, explore Northern California’s hiking scene, and nurture her passion for wine-tasting.
Link to her practice here: www.mpomg.com/lids