Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Head of Discipline
Professor B Trudinger
Location
Westmead Hospital
The Discipline has been devolved from the University campus to the individual Clinical Schools at King George V, Royal North Shore, Westmead, Canberra and Nepean hospitals with Chairs in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at each site.
It has been a combined Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology since 1964. A Chair of Perinatal Medicine was introduced in 1988, and a Chair of Gynaecological Oncology in 1992.
A Special Teaching Unit for IVF is located at Hunters Hill Private Hospital. The Sydney Centre for Reproductive Health Research has been set up in association with the Family Planning Association, and is located within the Queen Elizabeth Institute for Mothers and Infants on the University campus and at the FPA site at Ashfield.
Facilities
HPLC, electrophoretic technology, histochemistry, flow cytometry, peptide sequencing, assay of reproductive hormones, tissue culture, DNA analysis, micro-manipulation techniques involving embryos and cytogenetics.
The research facilities offered within the Discipline, whilst at times having a clinical component should not lead candidates to expect that the clinical exposure would prepare them for specialist training in general obstetrics and gynaecology in Australia or in their home countries. The training is in research per se or in sub-speciality areas only.
Areas of research
There are four broad areas of research – fetal / perinatal / neonatal medicine, reproductive endocrinology (including assisted reproductive technology), gynaecological oncology and women’s reproductive health.
Fetal / Perinatal / Neonatal Medicine
The Discipline has an active research interest in trophoblast function and the role of its dysfunction in pre-eclampsia. Work is in progress examining the maternal immune response in normal pregnancy and alterations in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Clinical research includes Doppler flow wave studies in the investigation of fetal physiology in normal and abnormal pregnancy and the investigation of the fetal heart in prolonged pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. Other perinatal research interests are the assessment of brain stem evoked potentials as an index of central nervous system maturation and in the control of neonatal breathing. Other areas involve the control of neonatal swallowing and assessment of intracranial blood flow.
Reproductive Endocrinology
A wide area of clinical and laboratory research in dysfunctional uterine bleeding, endometriosis and the menopause. Substantial clinical research with a large basic laboratory program associated with in vitro fertilisation and associated technologies involved with human infertility or early pregnancy wastage.
Gynaecological Oncology
Oncogenes in malignancy of the genital tract. Study of wart virus; DNA incorporation into cervical malignancy; genetic deletions in familial and sporadic ovarian cancer; psycho-oncology.
Women’s Health
Research into all aspects of women’s health can be carried out, including traditional office gynaecology and family planning and psychosomatic medicine.
Contact details
Professor B Trudinger
Head of Discipline
Phone: +61 2 9845 6800
Fax: +61 2 9845 7793
E-mail: