Women’s and Newborn Services

Overview

Women’s and Newborn Services offer a diverse range of healthcare services to women and their babies across Queensland and beyond.

Research is critical to contemporary health services and improving outcomes for patients, and this drives commitment to research within Women’s and Newborn Services.

The service line is dedicated to quality multidisciplinary healthcare, is actively involved in the advancement of services through research and education and maintains strong connections with multiple universities and training organisations in the provision of a tertiary service.

Research Specific

Women’s and Newborn Services continues to maintain an active interest in research activities as well as the provision of multiple education programs for undergraduate and postgraduate health services professionals. This is supported by strong connections with local universities, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RANZCOG) and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP).

Staff within Women’s and Newborn Services have National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Medical Research Futures Fund (MRFF) funding in perinatal medicine, midwifery, obstetrics, gynaecology, obstetric medicine and gynaecological oncology.

The Neonatal Research Group includes individual clinicians and researchers from the Grantley Stable Neonatal Unit (GNSU) who work collaboratively with the Perinatal Research Centre. Members of the group represent a variety of research domains and expertise, with an overall aim to improve outcomes for babies and families through the cultivation of pioneering research, support for translation of research into practice, and innovation within clinical care.

Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer Research’s mission is to research and develop the best standard of care for women experiencing gynaecological cancer.  This includes finding causes for and preventing gynaecological cancer; and finding better treatment options to cure women affected by gynaecological cancer. We have a focus on conducting surgical clinical trials. The Director of QCGC Research is Professor Andreas Obermair.

Associate Professor Lauren Kearney leads our midwifery research program, through a conjoint position with the University of Queensland.

Women’s and Newborn Services has a significant track record in consumer co-designed research.  We also have a stream of research focussed on closing the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

Further information on our research is located in our annual Women’s and Newborn Services Research Report

Research Teams

Women’s and Newborn Services currently conduct research in the following areas:

• Perinatal Research
• Neonatology
• Maternity
• Gynaecological cancer