Mind That Child: A Medical Memoir

Simon Rowley

May 2018 · Sold by Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited

About this ebook

‘There is always a baby for whom you can feel happy at what they have achieved, or sad when things go wrong. There are always parents to help through an incredible journey . . . I am, I know, a very lucky man.’ Leading paediatrician Dr Simon Rowley has committed almost all of his working life to the care and wellbeing of children. In Mind That Child, Rowley provides a rare glimpse into what it means to be entrusted with the most precious of responsibilities – a young human life. Charting his decades of medical experience, Rowley touches on an array of issues, from the high-stakes management of tiny pre-term babies to the serious impacts of drugs, alcohol and technology on developing minds. Real-life cases and practical advice are interwoven throughout a candid, compassionate narrative. What’s revealed is a tender and profound portrait of a medical professional at the very centre of what matters – a doctor who always adopts a humane, holistic view and who writes openly about the personal impact of a career in medicine. A must-read for any parent and a wonderful insight into the high-pressure medical world.

About the author

Dr Simon Rowley is a senior consultant neonatologist at Auckland City Hospital (originally National Women’s Hospital) with teaching links to Starship. Training first in Dunedin and Christchurch, Rowley completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford, UK. He also ran his own general paediatrics private practice in Auckland for 30 years, looking after children of all ages, and was visiting paediatrician for Plunket family centres over that same time. He is chair of the Paediatric Vocational Training Committee for the Auckland and Northern Region and a Director of Physician Education. One of Rowley’s specialist areas is neonatal brain development, and he is both a trustee and presenter for the Brainwave Trust; others include early childhood behavioural and developmental outcomes, and medical ethics. In particular, he is interested in how we make decisions about end-of-life care in the vulnerable, sick or newborn infant. Rowley is an honorary lecturer at the University of Auckland School of Medicine, and a recipient of the Dennis Pickup Clinical Educator Award (2014) and a Distinguished Clinical Teacher Award (2015). He is married with four adult children and lives in Mt Eden, Auckland.