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Congratulations to Dr Bec Dragovic, Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow for the department's MSc in Clinical Embryology - she has won the Most Acclaimed Lecturer (Medical Sciences category) at the 2017 Oxford University Students Union Teaching Awards.
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Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
A new paradigm of pancreatic islet adaptations in pregnancy
1 October 2025
University of Oxford researchers have uncovered surprising new insights into how the pancreas adapts during pregnancy to meet the body’s increased demand for insulin. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, challenge long-standing assumptions based on animal studies and highlight key differences between human and mouse biology.
No evidence that Paracetamol use in pregnancy causes Autism Spectrum Disorder
23 September 2025
Current evidence does not support a causal link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism spectrum disorder. A 2025 review of pivotal studies concluded that in-utero exposure to paracetamol is unlikely to confer a clinically important increased risk of ASD, and clinical guidelines on treating pain and fever in pregnancy should not change. Untreated pain and fever can harm both mother and fetus; when needed, paracetamol remains the recommended option.
Nathalie Conrad receives Wellcome Award to research congenital heart disease
7 April 2025
Dr. Nathalie Conrad has received a prestigious Wellcome Career Development Award to support her research investigating the epidemiology of congenital heart disease.
Future of Oxford lactation research centre secured with £9.12 million donation
24 July 2024
Official Press release: A £9.12 million gift from the Family Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation has endowed an Oxford University research centre investigating the role of hormones in human milk production.
New Funding Boosts Innovative Research for Early-Onset Preeclampsia Screening
31 May 2024
Our development of the ExoCounter assay, which detects placental small extracellular vesicles in maternal blood, offers a promising and resource-efficient method for screening the early-onset variant of Preeclampsia. This project is supported by global collaboration and funding to enhance its application in diverse populations.
Revolutionary AI Technology Reveals New Insights into Placental Health
9 May 2024
A groundbreaking study, published in Nature Communications, unveils HAPPY - a pioneering tool that uses AI to revolutionise the analysis of placental health. Developed by an international team of researchers, HAPPY represents a significant leap forward in helping to understand the vital role of the placenta in maternal and fetal health.
Study challenges conventional understanding of household air pollution's impact on fetal growth
12 April 2024
In a ground-breaking study published today in Lancet Global Health, researchers present findings challenging conventional wisdom regarding the impact of household air pollution on fetal growth. The study, conducted in 3200 households across resource-poor settings in Guatemala, India, Rwanda, and Peru, focused on assessing the effects of reducing personal exposures to household air pollution on fetal growth in a randomized controlled trial.
International Recognition of Oxford's Maternal-Fetal Nutrition Research: Dr. Jose Villar Wins Prestigious Award
20 February 2024
Dr. Jose Villar, Professor of Perinatal Medicine at the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health, has been honoured with the prestigious 2024 March of Dimes Agnes Higgins Award in Maternal-Fetal Nutrition.
New appointment at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
20 October 2022
Congratulations to Manu Vatish, Professor of Obstetrics & Consultant Obstetrician who has been appointed as the new Deputy Director for Maternal and Child Health Discovery at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Maternal fat metabolism in pregnancy and fetal abdominal growth influence child weight
26 August 2022
A new study, led by researchers at the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, USA, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology identifies, as early as the 5th month of pregnancy, patterns of fetal abdominal growth associated with maternal lipid metabolites that track newborn growth, adiposity and development into childhood.
New Professor of Obstetrics Title
22 August 2022
Enormous well done to our new Professor Sally Collins - she was conferred the title of Professor of Obstetrics by the University's Medical Sciences Division Board.
INTERCOVID Study cited in the New Yorker
17 August 2022
Fantastic news for our team who have been working on the INTERCOVID Study, which launched in April 2020. This week on 12th August 2022, the research findings cited in the New Yorker! This work was a combined effort from 43 institutions in 18 countries and involved more than two thousand pregnant women.
Women's Health Strategy for England Launched
28 July 2022
The government has published the first ever Women's Health Strategy for England to tackle the gender health gap. Menopause, Endometriosis, Contraception and Fertility treatment are highlighted as some of the top issues women have asked for action on. The Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health welcome and fully support this bold and exciting strategy to help improve the health of millions of women in England.
Pregnancy is more likely with urine tests and timed intercourse
11 July 2022
Dr Tatjana Gibbons leads study that suggests a woman's chance of conceiving is improved by using urine tests to detect the optimum time for intercourse, but further research is still needed to assess whether timed intercourse via any ovulation detection method creates a difference in live births and pregnancy rates.
Dawes-Redman Education awarded funds from Huntleigh Healthcare
12 May 2022
The Dawes-Redman Education programme which offers virtual CTG Analysis training sessions to Obstetric consultants, antenatal and student midwives has received generous funds from Huntleigh Healthcare for the next 3 years.
First UK pilot study of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) launched in Oxford
1 April 2022
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare, but treatable, genetic disease affecting approximately 1 in 10,000 births, and it typically presents in infancy and early childhood.
Professor Collins awarded Sir Jules Thorn Translational Biomedical Research Award 2021
3 March 2022
Professor Sally Collins has been awarded the prestigious and highly competitive Sir Jules Thorn Translational Biomedical Research Award 2021 for further translational development of the OxNNet Toolkit.
Global INTERCOVID-2022 Study launched to compare Covid-19 during pregnancy, with pregnant women without the infection.
15 February 2022
The Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI) has launched the 2022 round of the global study to evaluate the effects of Covid-19 variants and vaccination in pregnancy.
Success with the Pfizer Maternal C-19 Vaccine Trial
23 July 2021
Congratulations to Prof. Manu Vatish and the OSPREA-Gynae team on recruiting their first participant to the Pfizer maternal C-19 vaccine trial on 22nd July.