Rate My Professor Simon McDowell

Dr Simon McDowell serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Otago, Wellington campus, within the Faculty of Medicine and the Division of Health Sciences. He obtained his MBChB degree from the University of Otago from 1997 to 2002. McDowell is qualified as FRANZCOG through training with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists from 2006 to 2013, holds a Certificate in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (CREI), Postgraduate Diploma in Obstetrics and Medical Gynaecology (PGDipOMG), and MRMed. Additionally, he has completed a Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand AGES fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery, with a focus on endometriosis and infertility management. Beyond academia, he is the Medical Director at Fertility Associates Wellington, attends to gynaecology patients at Wakefield Specialist Centre, and maintains a clinical role at Wellington Women's Hospital. He is dedicated to teaching medical students and supervises research in reproductive health.

McDowell's academic interests center on infertility and reproductive endocrinology. His research contributions include investigations into endometriosis biomarkers using extracellular vesicles in cervicovaginal fluid, surgical outcomes for endometriosis, and non-invasive diagnostic tests. Key publications co-authored by McDowell are: "Comparison of cervicovaginal fluid extracellular vesicles isolated from paired cervical brushes and vaginal swabs" by Paterson et al. (Journal of Extracellular Biology, 2024); "Retrospective review of endometriosis surgery at Te Whatu Ora: Capital and Coast" by Paterson et al. (Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 2024); "Non-invasive tests for endometriosis are here; how reliable are they, and what should we do with the results?" by Scheck et al. (Australian & New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 2024); "Spectral flow cytometry of plasma EVs for detection of endometrial stromal cell markers CD10, CD90 and CD140b for endometriosis biomarkers" by Paterson et al. (Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 2024); and earlier works such as "Advanced sperm selection techniques for assisted reproduction" (2019 and 2014). McDowell is a member of AGES, FSA, RANZCOG, and serves on New Zealand's ECART committee for assisted reproductive procedures.