Who is Dr Gill Paulsen?
Dr Gill Paulsen lives close to The Mercy Hospital for Women, with her husband and two young children. Having experienced two pregnancies and births of her own, Gill knows firsthand what it means to go through pregnancy and childbirth and become a mother. She really understands how wonderful yet challenging pregnancy and parenthood can be!
Gill has an interest in health, nutrition and fitness during pregnancy and beyond. Her spare time is spent with her family, enjoying the coffee and foodie culture in Melbourne, exploring the inner city by foot, reading, watching movies and trying to keep active and stay fit.
Gill achieved an honours level in her Medical degree and has undertaken a considerable amount of subsequent training. She is organised, thorough and pays close attention to detail. Gill is also gentle, caring and capable of providing close emotional support to the couples in her care.
Gill’s Experience in Obstetrics
At The Mercy Hospital for Women, Dr Gill Paulsen is a senior member of the Obstetric Medical Team. She holds the position of Acting Clinical Director of Obstetrics and she is also the Head of the Plenty Obstetric Unit. Through this public hospital work, Gill provides care to women with complicated pregnancies. Gill also participates in the shared care of pregnant women in conjunction with their general practitioner. And she collaborates with midwives, to care for women with low risk pregnancies.
The last two years of Gill’s specialist training were spent in Perinatal Medicine and High Risk Obstetrics at The Royal Women’s Hospital and The Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne. It was during this time that Gill developed an interest in ultrasound scanning and caring for women with Diabetes in pregnancy. For three years she managed the Diabetes in Pregnancy clinic at The Northern Hospital, where she expanded her skills in managing women with complex medical disorders in pregnancy, including Type 1 and 2 Diabetes, Hypertension and Obesity.
This experience has provided Gill with the extensive skills required to manage all types of pregnancy. Gill can guide you through a normal pregnancy and can manage complications that may arise. Gill is also highly equipped to care for women with pre-existing medical conditions or previous pregnancy complications.
The experience of being a patient herself has taught Gill a lot about caring for pregnant women beyond their immediate medical needs. She recognises the importance of meeting both the physical and emotional needs of her patients, and integrating their desires for their pregnancy and delivery into the care provided. Gill has capped the number of deliveries she will take to four to six per month, to allow her to provide a personalised and attentive service to the women under her care.
Gill as an advocate and teacher
As a highly valued employee of a tertiary teaching hospital, Gill has a passion for teaching and spends part of each working week with students and junior doctors. Gill teaches doctors who are training to become Obstetricians to perform ultrasound scanning in pregnancy. Gill mentors medical students during their Women’s Health rotation and also spent three years as a Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for The University of Melbourne. This close connection with education requires Gill to remain up to date with the latest obstetric practices and research.
Gill places great value on working closely with a variety of health professionals including midwives, diabetes educators, dieticians, physiotherapists, osteopaths and medical specialists in other fields. Gill will collaborate with additional practitioners if the need arises during your pregnancy – the teamwork involved in caring for women during pregnancy was one of the major reasons Gill chose Obstetrics as her career.
Gill believes strongly in the importance of high quality public medical care and working within the public system will always be part her career. She is passionate about promoting women’s health globally and this was the focus of her Masters degree. Gill has a long-standing involvement with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, where she has held several committee positions. Through this work, she continues to advocate for high quality medical training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in order to meet the health needs of women over the course of their lives.
