Tatler Weekend Malaysia: Breaking barriers with Dr Mona Minkara, the blind scientist

Yue-Sai Kan believes in the magic of timing. According to the Chinese American TV host, producer, author, entrepreneur and humanitarian, it was timing that has made her arguably “the most famous woman in China”—as she has been dubbed by several media.

“Unlike the Kardashians, or influencers, my aim in life was never to be famous,” she says. “My fame was purely accidental and happened at a time that will never repeat itself in history.” 

Indeed, when the Guilin native moved from Hawaii to New York in the early ’70s and produced the TV series Looking East, Asia was “completely unknown to Americans, and China was enclosed,” she says. 

But the world was opening, and Kan, who was then in her early twenties, took a well-timed leap of faith. “My colleagues thought it was a stupid idea to produce a show about Asian cultures because they thought nobody would care,” she says. “While it wasn’t mainstream news, I knew there was an audience for it: the whole diaspora and the curious souls.”

You might also like: Taiwanese icon Brigitte Lin on her favourite roles, the power of writing and if she’ll return to acting

For Dr Vichai Chokevivat, the harsh reality of healthcare in rural Thailand wasn’t something he studied; it was something he lived. As a young doctor, he witnessed families, already on the brink of poverty, forced to sell their land, or in some cases, even their children, just to pay for basic medical treatment. “It was such a painful and bitter experience,” he says. “We dreamed of providing free medical care to the sick.” That dream, shared by many of his colleagues, didn’t take shape in boardrooms but in the remote, underserved corners of the country.

It’s in these corners that the Rural Doctors Movement has waged a decades-long battle. Their mission is clear: to bring healthcare to Thailand’s most marginalised communities, places where the sick have long been left to fend for themselves.

For over 50 years, this volunteer-driven initiative, led by the Rural Doctor Society and the Rural Doctor Foundation, has provided medical care to millions who would otherwise have been forgotten by progress. Recently awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called Asia’s Nobel Prize, these doctors are celebrated for their contributions to healthcare and social justice.

But the accolades only hint at their true impact. Their resilience stands out as they continue to serve in the most challenging conditions—not out of ambition, but necessity.

More from Tatler: In conversation with Atul Satija, the founder who is working to realise a poverty-free world

Located just two hours away on the Shinkansen from Tokyo is the city of Niigata. It is known for its thick snow, pure air, and rice fields, which contribute to its best—known industry: sake production.

Read more: Tatler Best takes over Bangkok with 50 exclusive experiences featuring Asia’s top chefs and bartenders

Home to 89 individual sake breweries, the highest number in Japan, we visit the sake region during October for the Echigo-Kenshin Sake Festival, which brings together the city’s top sake brewers, to discover what makes Niigata such a unique area in Japan.

Being diagnosed with macular degeneration and cone-rod dystrophy at just seven years old was certainly not the end of Mona Minkara’s incredible story, but the beginning. Born and raised in Maryland, USA to Lebanese immigrant parents, Minkara’s family was told by one specialist that investing in her education would be a waste. 

Her parents were determined to prove otherwise, and it turns out, they were right. 

“Growing up, I was told that science wasn’t for me because of my blindness, but I refused to accept that narrative,” says Minkara, who is also an assistant professor of bioengineering at Northeastern University. “The biggest mindset shift I had to overcome was realising that my blindness wasn’t a limitation; it was simply a different way of experiencing and interacting with the world.”

Despite the challenges of a public school system that was often unprepared to support a blind student, Mona’s perseverance and her family’s commitment helped her realise an academic potential she hadn’t thought possible. Against all odds, she excelled, taking advanced classes and ultimately earning a place at Wellesley College on scholarship.

Read more: From barista to trailblazer: Rina Siew, the Malaysian woman behind Starbucks’s pioneering signing stores for the Deaf community