Professor Kirsten Palmer

As an obstetrician and maternal fetal medicine (MFM) sub-specialist, I am passionate about partnering with women to both maximise their health and wellness during pregnancy, and to ensure they feel empowered and confident as they approach birth and parenthood. I bring a sense of calmness and clarity in my approach to pregnancy care, no matter what unexpected situations may arise. This is supported by delivering care through our purpose designed rooms at The Pregnancy Pod, which provide a calm and relaxing environment. In addition to my work as a private obstetrician, I also provide care for some of Victoria’s most complex pregnancies as the Head of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Monash Medical Centre. Here I work at the forefront of advanced obstetric care, leading the maternal fetal medicine and fetal growth restriction clinics, while also driving practice improvement initiatives, and training future MFM sub‐specialists. My work brings together a network of leading and passionate healthcare providers from midwifery, genetics, neonatology, paediatrics, anaesthetics and a range of medical specialities, to ensure women have access to the multidisciplinary team they need within the one centre. While I provide current expert care, I am also passionate about progressing the future of pregnancy care. I achieve this through being actively engaged in research, working as the head of the Maternal and Perinatal Medicine Translational Research Group within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University. Here I supervise a number of higher degree research students, as well as a team of highly skilled and passionate clinical research midwives and trial coordinators. My research focuses predominantly on placental disorders, where I am working to develop new approaches to care delivery and treatments that could improve outcomes for mothers and babies affected by conditions, such as preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction. I lead a number of clinical trials, working in partnership with some of Australia's leading researchers from Monash University and The Ritchie Centre within the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. As an executive committee member of the Interdisciplinary Maternal and Perinatal Clinical Trials (IMPACT) network, I also work with others across Australia and New Zealand to progress new research through clinical trials to hopefully inform future best practice. I also aim to enhance current best practice through my work with the Victorian Consultative Council of Obstetric and Paediatric Morbidity and Mortality (CCOPMM). I am also a mum to two amazing children and enjoy just hanging out with them, as well as yoga, bushwalking, tennis and drawing.