In 2014 Dr Catherine Mohr develops and evaluates medical technologies such as surgical robots at high-tech company Intuitive Surgical in California, and also teaches surgical skills at Stanford School of Medicine. She is pictured with the da Vinci surgical robot, which has four interactive arms: three to hold surgical tools and one with an endoscopic camera that gives the surgeon a view of the patient's insides.

Born in Dunedin, Mohr left for the United States when she was two, but retains New Zealand citizenship and strong links with the country of her birth. After leaving school she obtained a masters degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked in the field of green technology – on alternative energy vehicles, high-altitude aircraft and efficient fuel-cell power systems. She then obtained a medical degree with the aim of bridging the gap between engineering and surgery.