Rate My Professor Helen Paterson

Dr Helen Paterson is a Senior Lecturer in Women’s Health and Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Dunedin) in the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Otago. She earned her BM, DTM&H, MMedSc—focusing on levonorgestrel intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) use in adolescents in New Zealand—and PhD in 2016 on intuitive eating in pregnancy and gestational weight gain from the University of Otago. A Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRANZCOG), she completed specialist medical training and has been a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Dunedin Hospital since 2009, concurrently holding a joint clinical and academic position at the University of Otago since that time.

Paterson’s academic interests encompass sexual and reproductive health, including long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), emergency contraception, abortion care post-decriminalization, gestational weight gain, and improving access to care to enhance pregnancy outcomes. Her research has garnered over 700 citations according to Google Scholar. Select publications feature “Pregnancy rates among users of combined oral contraceptives in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2019: a nationwide retrospective cohort study” with Thomas et al. (BMJ Public Health, 2026), “Consumer’s experiences with emergency contraception in Aotearoa New Zealand: a qualitative study” with McKay and Anderson (Journal of Primary Health Care, 2026), “Access to abortion after decriminalization in Aotearoa New Zealand: A mixed-methods study of women’s experiences and views” with Gibson et al. (Contraception, 2025), “The journey of people accessing first trimester abortion in Aotearoa New Zealand: health consumers’ perspectives” with Macfarlane et al. (Journal of Primary Health Care, 2025), and “Delivering optimal weight gain advice to pregnant women by lead maternity carer midwives in a real-world setting to optimise health outcomes (DOT study): a case study protocol” with Coppell et al. (BMC Public Health, 2025). She convenes postgraduate Women’s Health papers, provides government advice on adolescent contraception, and co-directs Te Waka Wahine Hauora: Woman’s Health Bus, delivering services to rural communities.