One of the most enjoyable aspects of work for me is the collaboration with patients that is inherent in obstetrics and gynecology. I see my role as providing evidence-based information to help women make decisions that will work for themselves and their families, and to support them in this. Each patient’s circumstances and preferences are different, and I offer individualised care to take this into account.
I did most of my O&G training at the Royal Women’s Hospital and have also spent some years training in rural and overseas hospitals. During this time, I was able to develop skills in all aspects of obstetrics, including high-risk obstetrics and office and operative gynaecology.
Before we had even finished our speciality training, Dr Leah Xu and myself had already considered the benefits of a woman-centered and woman-run group practice. With one secretary, we started OGCG in 2007 when I returned from the UK and the setting up and running of a business, as well as the medical side of looking after our patients kept us all very busy in the early days.
Over the next 15 years, we employed many more secretaries and midwives, and have been able to grow the practice. Our vision was to be able to provide complete care for our patients throughout their healthcare journey. We now have a team of five female obstetricians, and also provide our patients with access to womens’ health physiotherapists, a maternal and paediatric dietician (with particular interest in gestational diabetes), a perinatal counselor and dedicated gynaecology care. We still constantly think about how we can improve our patients’ experience for the time they are with us.
Outside of work, I am kept busy with my two children and all the work (and enjoyment!) that entails. I enjoy traveling, and am endlessly curious about different cultures. I love trying new restaurants and cooking, and spent much of our lockdowns making jam, practicing piano, knitting and watching foreign language films on Netflix (as well as working!). One of my favourite parts of meeting new families everyday is hearing all their recommendations, whether it be restaurants, binge-worthy dramas or yummy recipes!