Rate My Professor Leehe Vardi

Dr Leehe Vardi is a Clinical Senior Lecturer and PhD student in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dunedin, within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Otago. She holds the qualifications of MB ChB and PGDipOMG from the University of Otago. In addition to her academic roles, Vardi works as an Obstetrics and Gynaecology registrar, contributing to clinical practice at Dunedin Public Hospital and supporting medical education. Her career at the University of Otago is documented in successive annual calendars from 2020 onwards, where she is listed among the staff of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Vardi's professional activities bridge clinical service, teaching, and research in women's health, with an emphasis on pregnancy-related complications.

Vardi's research specializations focus on human papillomavirus (HPV) and adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly preterm labour (PTL). Her work examines the relationship, or lack thereof, between placental HPV infection and PTL, as well as broader implications of HPV placental infection. She has made contributions to the understanding of rare placental disorders, co-authoring the peer-reviewed article 'Successful pregnancy following treatment of recurrent chronic histiocytic intervillositis' published in BMJ Case Reports in 2017 with colleagues Helen Paterson and Noelyn Anne Hung. This case report describes a successful pregnancy outcome after targeted treatment for recurrent chronic histiocytic intervillositis, highlighting management strategies for this condition associated with high recurrence and adverse outcomes. Vardi also co-authored a conference contribution, 'Single versus multi-vessel PCI in STEMI patients with multivessel coronary artery disease in Dunedin Public Hospital,' published as an abstract in Heart, Lung and Circulation in 2012. In 2016, she received the Lady King Scholarship as part of the University of Otago Health Research Excellence Awards for her work in Women's and Children's Health. These accomplishments underscore her dedication to advancing knowledge in obstetrics and gynaecology through clinical research and scholarship at the University of Otago.