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Dr Celia Devenish is a Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health at the University of Otago's Dunedin School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. Holding qualifications of MB BS, MRCOG, and FRANZCOG, she is an experienced Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who has served as a Senior Lecturer and Tutor at the institution since 1981. Over more than 40 years, she has made substantial contributions to clinical practice, medical education, and research in obstetrics and gynaecology, including leadership roles with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).
Her research primarily aims to advance the understanding and management of obstetric conditions associated with poor outcomes for women and babies, such as placental dysfunction and preterm birth, while also exploring best practices in obstetric care delivery. Key interests include maternity care and outcomes, placental factors affecting pregnancy, and training enhancements for obstetric specialists. Ongoing projects encompass surveys of women in Plunket antenatal education, pre-operative checklists for RANZCOG surgical trainees, and analysis of umbilical cord insertion anomalies on obstetric outcomes. She coordinates the extramural postgraduate paper OBGY 713: Pregnancy and Postnatal Care in the Community.
Dr Devenish's publications feature the MAGENTA randomized clinical trial in JAMA (2023) on prenatal magnesium at 30-34 weeks' gestation and offspring neurodevelopment; 'Identification and validation of DNA methylation changes in pre-eclampsia' in Placenta (2021); 'Human papillomavirus E6/E7 expression in preeclampsia-affected placentae' in Pathogens (2020); a plenary presentation 'Delivered safely: An audit of emergency obstetric helicopter transfers' at RANZCOG Aotearoa 2025; and earlier works like episomal papillomavirus in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (Modern Pathology, 2015), tobacco's placental impact (2013), and bacterial vaginosis-preterm birth links (2010). Awarded the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2025 for services to women's health and education, the RANZCOG President's Medal (2020), and numerous teaching awards, she is celebrated as an exemplary teacher and mentor.
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