Welcome
The University Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health is responsible for teaching Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatal Paediatrics, to MD medical students. Currently, each year approximately 330 medical students spend 6 weeks (across 6 rotations) attached to the Department during the third year of their medical course. In addition, there are graduate research students pursuing full-time or part-time research through the Department. These include Honours, Master of Biomedical Sciences and Doctor of Philosophy students. In Quarter 1 of 2024, there were approximately 38 graduate research students enrolled in the Department undertaking their PhD, including 4 under examination.
The Vision of the Department is to improve health around the world through research, education and clinical training in obstetrics, gynaecology and newborn health, and it's Mission as a values-led and unified department, is to nurture great people and big ideas in teaching and research to lead and improve health outcomes globally in obstetrics, gynaecology and newborn health.
The Department aims to provide high quality academic services across a broad range of clinical, educational and research activities within its associated teaching hospitals, and especially at its major centres, the Royal Women's Hospital and the Mercy Hospital for Women. Other associated teaching hospitals are the Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at St. Albans (part of Western Health), the Northern Hospital in Epping (part of Northern Health), the St Vincent’s and the Epworth Clinical Schools (and private hospitals) and the Ballarat Hospital and Goulburn Valley Hospital (Shepparton), both of which are linked to the Department of Rural Health.’
The Department is committed to establishing and maintaining a workplace culture consistent with the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences’ values of Respect, Accountability, Compassion, Collaboration and Teamwork, and Integrity.
The Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health has a strong research base with a history of significant competitive grant funding success from external, peer reviewed, grant awarding bodies. Particular areas of current research strength include maternal fetal medicine, neonatal paediatrics, women's health, infectious diseases, gynaecological oncology and reproductive biology. In 2023, the Department received Commonwealth grant funding of $7.5m and State Government and Other grant funding of $4.6m. The Department is also very successful in attracting philanthropic income to support its research endeavours and is very thankful for the generosity of its donors.
Staff of the Department include clinical academics, research fellows, research assistants and other research support personnel, administrative personnel and a teaching staff associated with the various teaching hospitals involved in the delivery of the Department's graduate teaching programme. As of February 2024, the Department has 93 fixed term and continuing staff (headcount). The Department is also grateful for its 66 honorary staff who contribute to and help to successfully deliver the teaching and research activities of the Department.
The origins of the University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health can be traced back to 1924, when the Victorian Branch of the British Medical Association appointed a committee under the leadership of Dr J W Dunbar Hooper "to enquire into the condition of midwifery work" in Victoria.
