As medical doctors, we have earned the trust of our communities by endeavouring to embody the highest of values and the most responsible of behaviours.

We often take this position for granted.

So, imagine the humbling experience when, as a respected senior specialist working within one of Sydney’s most hallowed institutions (which prides itself on compassion, integrity and altruism), I was schooled, out of the blue, by a young African doctor from Uganda in the definition of community.

‘Ubuntu’, she explained, is a Bantu term that is used to convey the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.