It also doesn't give a clear picture of the full story, which is years of personal study from medical textbooks, discussions with scientists, partnering with them over years of research to figure things out, and get to a diagnosis, and then, yes, design a new surgery.
In our societies obsession with punishment as a means of dealing with wrongdoing it is easier to justify punishing a man than a teenager, so I think we subconciously prefer to frame it that way to justify wanting to enact punishment.
"Teenage Pregnancy", for example. Most folks picture someone young. 15-16, perhaps. Most folks don't stop to consider that a very sizable portion of "teenage pregnancy" happens to 18 and 19 year olds, which while young isn't that uncommon either.
This itches me a bit tad as well. I immediately assume the author is trying to belittle or judge the person, it's a bias or some kind of semi-conscious compensation and revenge process.
Maybe "Student was bedridden for 11 years..." would be more accurate.