Experts in Women's Health

From researching Endometriosis, Ovarian Cancer, Pain in Women, Pre-eclampsia to Fertility Preservation and much more, we aim to be the world's front runner in women's and reproductive health expertise, passing on our knowledge through teaching and research outputs to support global needs.

We're recruiting!

We are currently recruiting for a range of new posts to join our dynamic, friendly department. Come and join our world experts in Women's Health! All applications should be made on line through the University of Oxford jobs website.

Study With Us

Whether you want to do a DPhil or MSc by research, you can choose to study topics such as: oocytes and sperm, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, genetic studies, molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying normal and aberrant reproductive function, immunology of pregnancy, gynaecological cancer, clinical studies in women's health and pregnancy, and epidemiological and health services research.

Adenomyosis: From symptoms to treatment

Adenomyosis can cause irregular, heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and it can affect fertility. Women with adenomyosis who do become pregnant have an increased risk of miscarriage, pre-term delivery, pre-eclampsia and bleeding after delivery. Dr Jen Southcombe & DPhil student Fitnat Topbas Selcuki discuss this complex condition and how diagnosis options are changing and improving in an article in The Conversation.

New Associate Professor

We are pleased to share that Kevin Coward was conferred the title of Associate Professor by the University's Medical Sciences Division Board. Prof Krina Zondervan said: "I’m absolutely delighted that Kevin’s directorship of our award-winning MSc in Clinical Embryology, his many contributions to graduate studies in the University, and his success in leading an internationally recognised research group into male factor infertility & nanoparticle delivery systems in IVF, have been recognised".

One in ten affected by autoimmune disorders

A new population-based study of 22 million people shows that autoimmune disorders now affect about one in ten individuals. The work, published in The Lancet, also highlights important socioeconomic, seasonal, and regional differences for several autoimmune disorders and provides new clues on possible causes behind these diseases.

Our Mission

Welcome to the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health. Established in 1937, we are one of the largest academic departments in the world in its field and we have been innovating, teaching, pioneering and evolving women's health for over 85 years. Our core purpose is to advance women's and reproductive health through research and teaching, and to improve the quality and delivery of women's healthcare across the globe.

Research

Our worldwide acclaimed research covers four main themes; Reproductive Medicine & Genetics, Maternal & Fetal Health, Cancer and Global Health. We also run a range of clinical trials from women who are not currently pregnant, to those in the first trimester of pregnancy and onward, as well as general women's health studies.

See our research groups

Our MSc course was specifically designed to include intense laboratory practical training. Students learn skills and techniques directly relevant to assisted reproductive technology (ART), as well as a range of ‘traditional’ and ‘cutting edge’ scientific techniques and procedures.

Study

Applications are now open for entry in 2024-25! We offer two postgraduate research programmes: a two year MSc by Research and a three year DPhil. These involve students undertaking independent research in their chosen area under the supervision of two or more experts in the field. In addition we offer a one year taught MSc in Clinical Embryology.

See our courses

Image shows five women sat round a table chatting and drinking cofee.

People

We have over 160 members in our department spread across eight sites in Oxford, consisting of post-graduate students, academic and research staff and professional staff. Our people are our life-blood and we are committed to ensuring they feel valued and nurtured as part of the Women's & Reproductive Health community.

See our team

Latest News

PrecisionLife Licenses University of Oxford Data to Discover Personalised Treatments for Endometriosis Patients

PrecisionLife, a leading techbio company driving precision medicine in complex chronic diseases, announced today a data access agreement with the University of Oxford to license the Oxford Endometriosis Gene (OXEGENE) dataset with the aim to develop new personalised treatments for endometriosis patients.

Adenomyosis: From symptoms to treatment

Adenomyosis can cause irregular, heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain and it can affect fertility. Women with adenomyosis who do become pregnant have an increased risk of miscarriage, pre-term delivery, pre-eclampsia and bleeding after delivery. So what causes adenomyosis, and how is it diagnosed and treated?

New Associate Professor Title

Congratulations to Prof Kevin Coward who was conferred the title of Associate Professor by the University's Medical Sciences Division Board. Head of Department, Prof Krina Zondervan said: "I’m absolutely delighted that Kevin’s directorship of our award-winning MSc in Clinical Embryology, his many contributions to graduate studies within the University, and his success in leading an internationally recognised research group into male factor infertility and nanoparticle delivery systems in IVF, have been recognised".

Latest publications

Prognosis, characteristics, and provision of care for patients with the unspecified heart failure electronic health record phenotype: a population-based linked cohort study of 95262 individuals
Journal article

Nakao YM. et al, (2023), eClinicalMedicine, 63
The role of multidisciplinary team and stepwise pelvic devascularization to minimize blood loss during total pelvic exenteration for patients refusing blood transfusion.
Journal article

Le Thanh V. et al, (2023), Clin Case Rep, 11
Association between maternal haemoglobin concentrations and maternal and neonatal outcomes: the prospective, observational, multinational, INTERBIO-21st fetal study.
Journal article

Ohuma EO. et al, (2023), Lancet Haematol, 10, e756 - e766

Cookies on this website