A Weekly Profile of Guyanese Excellence

At Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Dr. Sharmila Persaud is performing some of the world’s most complex brain surgeries. But every morning, she looks at a photo on her desk: her grandmother’s wooden house in Berbice, where she grew up without electricity.

The Journey

“People ask me how I got from there to here,” Dr. Persaud says, gesturing around her state-of-the-art operating suite. “I tell them: I got here because I started there.”

Born in New Amsterdam in 1985, Sharmila was the first in her family to attend university. Her father drove a taxi. Her mother sold vegetables at the market. They had one dream: their daughter would become a doctor.

Against the Odds

The path wasn’t easy:

  • Studied by kerosene lamp when power was out (which was often)
  • Walked 3 miles to school in Berbice rain
  • Helped her mother at the market before classes
  • Won a scholarship to Queen’s College in Georgetown
  • Graduated top of her class at University of Guyana medical school

A scholarship to Johns Hopkins came next. Then residency. Then fellowship. Now, at 40, she’s one of the leading neurosurgeons in North America.

The Guyana Connection

But success hasn’t severed her roots—it’s strengthened them.

Dr. Persaud:

  • Returns to Guyana quarterly for medical missions
  • Has trained 15 Guyanese doctors in neurosurgery techniques
  • Established a scholarship fund for Berbice students
  • Donated equipment to Georgetown Public Hospital
  • Mentors young Guyanese doctors remotely

“I’m successful because Guyana made me who I am,” she explains. “The work ethic, the resilience, the determination—that’s all Guyana.”

The Berbice Spirit

She tells the story of performing a 14-hour surgery on a young patient last year. Exhausted, she almost asked her team to take over.

“Then I remembered my mother standing in the market for 16 hours a day, never complaining. I thought: if she could do that selling vegetables, I can do this saving a life.”

The surgery succeeded.

Advice for Young Guyanese

Dr. Persaud is often asked to speak at schools in Guyana. Her message is consistent:

“Your circumstances don’t define your destination. I studied by lamplight. You have electricity and internet. You have no excuse—and unlimited potential.”

She pauses. “But also: never forget where you came from. Success means nothing if you don’t bring others along.”

The Return Plan

Dr. Persaud has a five-year plan: establish Guyana’s first dedicated neurosurgery center in Georgetown.

“We train excellent doctors in Guyana,” she says. “But then we lose them because we don’t have the facilities to use their skills. That has to change.”

She’s already raised $2 million toward the project. The Guyanese diaspora is contributing. So are international partners impressed by Guyana’s potential.

“My grandmother’s generation left Guyana for opportunity,” Dr. Persaud reflects. “My generation left Guyana for education. The next generation? They should stay in Guyana for both.”

Beyond Medicine

Outside the hospital, Dr. Persaud maintains her Guyanese identity fiercely:

  • Cooks pepperpot for colleagues every Christmas
  • Teaches her children Creolese phrases
  • Wears her Guyana flag pin on her white coat
  • Serves on the board of the Baltimore Guyanese Association

“I’m Guyanese first,” she says simply. “Everything else is just what I do, not who I am.”

The Photo

That photo on her desk—the one of her grandmother’s house in Berbice?

“It reminds me every day why I do this work,” she explains. “And reminds me that no matter how far I’ve come, that’s still home.”

Dr. Sharmila Persaud proves what’s possible when Guyanese excellence meets opportunity. And more importantly, she’s ensuring the next generation won’t have to leave Guyana to reach it.

Patriots’ Portfolio is a weekly feature celebrating successful Guyanese at home and abroad—their journeys, their achievements, and their continued connection to the land that shaped them.