Sharon Lewin is a professor, infectious diseases physician and scientist, and is internationally renowned for her research into all aspects of HIV disease and pathogenesis. She is the director of The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, a joint venture of the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital, and was named Melburnian of the Year in 2014 for her achievements in her field.

To my teenage self,

No matter how you are feeling right now – overwhelmed with school, fitting in with friends and being understood by family – exciting and unexpected opportunities and challenges but also great things lie ahead for everyone. Never forget that.

When I was your age and living in suburban Melbourne in 1975, I felt trapped in a boring place which seemed far, far away from where things were really happening. Who could have imagined how the world would change in the next 30 years? Melbourne is now a city with its own distinctive style. Melbourne now leads in design, research, sport, food and fashion, and at the same time embraces diversity and inclusion in all it does. It’s a city I greatly enjoy and am now immensely proud to live in. At the same time, through advances in technology, the world has also now come to us. So your world now is likely to be a very different world in the future, one you might have never imagined.

A few words of advice for managing the changing world ahead …

The great adventures and successes in life come to people who are open to others, open to change and open to hard work. So embrace the opportunities that come to you and always say ‘yes’ whenever you can. ‘Yes’ should be the default position.

Be kind – to everyone. When I was five, my mum insisted I always say ‘yes’ to every party invitation – no matter who it was or whether I would know anyone there. From as early as I can remember, this was the rule. Be kind to everyone you meet in life or in work. Other people’s stories are always inspiring.

At times, life can seem overwhelming. It’s hard to know how to manage your time to juggle study (and later work) and play effectively but it’s important to get right. At times, it seems easier to just shut yourself off from the rest of the world when you are under pressure and just focus on one thing. But life is never like that. We are always part of a larger community and world. This difficult juggle will continue forever so learning a balance that works is important. None of us get it right all the time.

Enjoy the journey in life – not just the destination. At different times in life, priorities will change. This may seem a distraction but don’t resent this. You may need to alter the balance of life along the way but that’s part of the journey to enjoy.

Follow your passion. People excel in their careers and in life when they are doing what they love or what they care about. I know not everyone is lucky enough to find that but if you can, and can make money too, treasure that. A successful career in medicine and science, for me, often required extremely hard work, long hours and some sacrifice. This is much easier to do if you are passionate about what you do.

Family and friends always come first. Never miss a major life event for a friend or family member. Doesn’t matter where or when or how inconvenient, make every effort to be there.

Travel as much as you can. Travel is even better with a safe and enriching home base. Travel introduces you to new aesthetics, new ways of looking at the world and most importantly, new people. It is also a reminder that despite all our differences there is a common humanity in the world. Regardless of where you live, your colour, your religion, all human life is equal and everyone deserves respect. Growing up in a rich country means we have an opportunity, perhaps a responsibility, to give back and try to eliminate that inequality.

Make sure you live somewhere different from where you grew up – anywhere will be wonderful but spending time in a place at the epicentre of whatever you are interested in can be transformative. For me, in HIV medicine in the late 90s, that was the Rockefeller University in New York. This was the beginning of life-saving treatments for people living with HIV and New York was where much of this research was happening. Moving to New York with my husband and two young children seemed a tremendous hassle at the time but the benefits personally, professionally and as a family stay with us all forever.

As a woman, there will always be extra pressures on you. I doubt this will ever change. Even with the great advances in equality for women, which I have enjoyed in my own career, there are still many additional challenges for women. See these as extra advantages and opportunities, not drawbacks. Having a family and perhaps remaining the primary caregiver is a great privilege with immense rewards; being able to combine that with a career too is an even greater joy.

And finally, as Mary Schmich, a journalist for the Chicago Tribune (and not Kurt Vonnegut), famously once wrote for a hypothetical commencement speech (which you should read), wear sunscreen! The scientists were right – it works! It will keep you looking young. If only we had been told that in the 70s!