Caroline de Costa

Biography

Caroline de Costa is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the College of Medicine at James Cook University, Cairns Campus in North Queensland, Australia. Caroline has 42 years’ experience in the practice of obstetrics and 40 years in the area of obstetrics research, in particular obstetric epidemiology. She practised as a specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist for 35 years. Caroline was born and educated in Sydney and later studied medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, in Dublin, graduating MB BS (London University) and LRCP&SI in 1973. After completing residency in Port Moresby General Hospital, Papua-New Guinea, she returned to Ireland and undertook specialist training there and in the United Kingdom. In 1980 Caroline returned to Port Moresby for a further 18 months as Senior Registrar before moving back to Sydney where she spent 17 years in private practice. In 1999 she moved to Cairns and took up her present appointment in 2004.

Teaching

In her university role Caroline teaches the medical students of JCU in their fifth and sixth years as well as supervising honours and PhD research students.

Research/General Interests

In her clinical practice Caroline became deeply involved in improving outcomes for indigenous women in the area of obstetrics and gynaecology. She conducted research into possible interventions to reduce the incidence of foetal alcohol syndrome amongst the children of indigenous women in Far North Queensland. She has conducted several studies into the vitamin D levels and requirements of pregnant women in Far North Queensland in order to determine whether these differ from those of women in more temperate zones. She a has a major interest in caesarean section, including the history and social implications of this common operation as well as techniques and risks of the surgery.

Much of Caroline’s research over the past ten years has been in the area of abortion service provision and abortion law reform. She has published extensively with multiple co-authors both nationally and internationally on these topics, and has been active and successful in public movements to reform abortion law.