This is simply a post of me gushing over the brilliantness of Dr. Delphine Cormier:
I know she’s obviously a highly intelligent woman, but it finally hits me just how smart and accomplished she really was until I started to research on med school & PhD programs in a related field for myself...
I don’t think the show ever specifically told us what kind of education she went through. We just knew she had a PhD degree in Immunology by early 2013 (when Orphan Black S1 aired) when she was only 28 years old (as she was born on Dec. 21st, 1984). Throughout the show, she always acted more as a lab/research scientist in Immunology rather than an Immunology physician/MD. However, I assumed she did go through med school training and was indeed a certified physician/MD as well: In earlier seasons, they showed us that she clearly knew how to draw blood (and perform medical procedures) which I doubt a pure PhD research scientist would be able to or have the credential to do so. In Season 5, they revealed to us that Delphine was appointed by Westmoreland as both the lab research scientist and the island’s physician to actually treat patients there. This proved my theory that she definitely was a physician/medical doctor and had the credential to practice medicine in multiple countries.
Okay, so Delphine as an Immunologist had both the research PhD title and the physician title by the beginning of 2013. Let’s do some maths here. In Europe, you start medical school training after high school, and it takes about six years to finish. To get a PhD afterwards, in France, it requires another 3 years or so. Assume Delphine got into university studying medicine when she was 19 (due to her late birthday), she should be 29 years old by the time she finished med school + PhD training.
I don’t know if there’s a combined fast-track for immunology physician + research PhD in France, but normally you would need some solid research/work experience to be able to qualify for a research PhD program (in the US). This means you typically will need to take a break and actually work in a lab or participate in research projects for a few years before your PhD program. With that, it easily puts you over 10 years to obtain both a physician credential and a PhD title.
Now, let’s look at Delphine’s education history, shall we... We know Dr. Leekie recruited her to join DYAD after her PhD training and this happened a while before the show first took place. I can’t imagine Leekie recruiting someone without an outstanding/extensive research background to work on this high profile project. Still, Delphine qualified for the job and when we first met her, she was only 28 years old. Mind you, Cosima, the show’s super smart “geek monkey”, was slightly older than Delphine, but when the show first started, Cosima was still in the process of getting her PhD.
In short, Dr. Delphine Cormier obtained her physician and Immunology PhD title, passed multiple physician board exams to practice medicine in several countries as well as having years of research/work experience under her belt all before she turned 29. And if that’s not impressive enough, by 30, she was leading a multinational corporation with the trust and approval from the DYAD board. She was, without a doubt, a freaking all-around genius to say the least. (Of course, “genius” doesn’t discount the time and energy she put towards her studies and her accomplishments.)
I wish the show elaborated more on her presumably suicide attempt along with her mental struggles throughout her teen and early adulthood years. This storyline and her character would serve as an even greater inspiration to those who suffering from mental health issues: You can still achieve your goals and pursue your dreams. Your mental illness does not define who you are or who you can be.
In case you can’t tell, I am a SIMP for intelligent female doctors... When can I meet my “Delphine Cormier”... 👀
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