Professor Caroline de Costa

Professor Caroline de Costa is an obstetrician, gynaecologist, academic and author, and was Australia’s first female Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She is now an Adjunct Professor at The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, following more than 45 years working in obstetrics and gynaecology and teaching medical students and trainee doctors. Her clinical and academic work has included reproductive health, abortion access, Indigenous women’s health, obstetric epidemiology and caesarean birth, and she has authored or co-authored more than 160 peer-reviewed papers. Professor de Costa received the RANZCOG President’s Medal in 2014 and the AMA Gold Medal in 2024 in recognition of her contribution to medicine and women’s health. Her latest book, Caesarean Birth: Your Questions Answered, was published by Melbourne University Press in August 2026 and explores the changing landscape of caesarean birth, including informed consent, obstetric trauma, maternal and infant outcomes and contemporary evidence around caesarean delivery.