Dr Teresa MacDonald

Dr Teresa MacDonald is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Mercy Hospital for Women. She is also a continuing Clinician Scientist Research Fellow with Mercy Perinatal and The University of Melbourne, and has been since she completed her PhD in 2019. Teresa is currently an NHMRC funded investigator (2024-2028), the 2024-2026 Norman Beischer Clinical Research Fellow, and is the 2024-2025 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) Foundation's Arthur Wilson Memorial Scholar. Her research program is focused on developing ‘Checkpoints of Placental Health’ to better detect fetal growth restriction, to ultimately reduce stillbirth. 

Teresa's research interests include interrogating large datasets of ultrasound scans performed historically to determine whether we can gain additional predictive value from fetal measurements routinely obtained. Together with Professor Sue Walker, she has led the field in advocating for assessment of fetal growth rate rather than just fetal size. Further, she is now investigating whether the routine morphology scan done at around 20-21 weeks, might double as a risk assessment tool to triage subsequent pregnancy care. 

Teresa supervises PhD candidates, and junior doctors and medical students both clinically and in research. Teresa is also an Examination Director for RANZCOG's Fellowship MCQ examination, contributing leadership and service to obstetric education across Australia and New Zealand.