Building hope

Dr Krishna Mantravadi (GradDipRepSc 2008, MClinEmbryol 2008) has found his dream job and now gives hope to thousands of families in India wanting to start a family.

At just 27 years of age, Dr Mantravadi is an associate consultant and lab manager for an andrology and infertility clinic in Bangalore, India, using the skills and techniques he gained through masters study at Monash University.

The Master in Clinical Embryology degree is one of few courses of its type in the world, and draws on 30 years of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) experience at Monash University.

IVF techniques that were pioneered at the University in the 1970s have now been widely adopted, giving hope to couples around the world seeking to start a family. Dr Mantravadi says his job gives him an enormous amount of pride.

“This is a place where I speak to different people every day and every day is a challenge. People place their trust in me to have a solution to their problem,” he says.

“It is a really exciting job. I dreamt about it, and I feel so happy that I am doing it. I can create babies: that is something that gives me a lot of satisfaction.

“I really feel so proud and I am thankful for Monash University, which has given me a very strong foundation,” he says.

Dr Mantravadi believes his Monash degree has helped fast-track his career, with Monash University's strong reputation helping him secure job interviews and ultimately a coveted job.

“It is the international recognition that Monash has got, wherever you go, and you say that you are a student of Monash, definitely people do recognise this name,” he says.

“If you take the best universities in Australia, Monash is one of them. Similarly if we say Oxford or Harvard, Monash - particularly if you take the medical faculty - really does have a very good reputation.”

He has very fond memories of his two years of study at Monash University, which he describes as the best time of his life.

Lectures were often given by international guests who are experts in their field. Equipment was state-of-the art and staff ensured he was encouraged and supported to learn as much as he could.

“The University has given so sound a foundation in this particular field. It has given me qualities that wherever I go, I can survive. I was at the right place, where the foundation was given, now it is up to me how I build up on this foundation. Monash has really given me all round development.”