Professor Rosalie Grivell
BMBS ’98
By David Sly
Applying medical expertise and powerful advocacy skills has made Professor Rosalie Grivell a central voice in research and policy developments of women’s health and maternal fetal medicine – and has ensured that women are best cared for through the complications associated with high-risk pregnancy.
Clinical data that Professor Grivell produced, synthesised and incorporated into policy over her career has been vital in improving health outcomes for women, but her scientific expertise has also been highly influential in reforming abortion legislation in South Australia, bringing clarity and conclusion to an emotion-charged public debate.
Without the input of medical evidence and data presented by Professor Grivell and an expert medical team, she doubts that the Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2020 would have passed through South Australia’s Parliament. “It was crucial that everyone examining this issue understood the emotional toll on women and their families through high-risk pregnancies and their often-tragic outcomes,” she says.
From Medical Practitioner to Public Advocate
Taking the bold step from medical practitioner to public advocate is daunting – and certainly beyond any initial brief in medicine – yet Professor Grivell committed to involve herself at the core of this contentious issue, as the temperature of debate spiralled to an often-hysterical pitch. To offer a pragmatic voice of reason in such a difficult situation, she had to steel herself to perform at her best.
“I felt as though I owed it to the women I had worked with over so many years who had experienced very complicated pregnancies – to help arrive at a fair and equitable result,” she says. “It wasn’t a specific choice that I made, but an opportunity that arose, and I saw that something needed to be done.
“I could offer something positive, both in my medical expertise and my ability to translate essential information to people outside the sphere of medicine.
“It was an enormous privilege to be able to take my professional experience and translate that into something that will hopefully bring meaningful, ongoing change.”
This landmark achievement represents only a fraction of her work. Professor Grivell has carefully balanced clinical work, education and research throughout her career, especially during her work as a consultant obstetrician at Flinders Medical Centre and Matthew Flinders Fellow in Maternal Fetal Medicine research. From March 2020, she was also Director of the Flinders Medical Program, inspiring innovative teaching to enhance student experiences in medical education.
This crucial Director’s role proved especially challenging through the COVID-19 disruptions, as significant changes to teaching were accompanied by substantial changes in the clinical environment in order to minimise risk to patients, the public, staff and students. Professor Grivell notes during this time and through her time as Director of the Medical Program, the constant theme that was critical to success was one of teamwork. “I was so fortunate to work with many great people during this time who just wanted to make a contribution to the student journey and do what needed to be done at the time.”
Key to the team that surrounded her were the students themselves, “It’s something that was so important during this time. The student leadership became a very strong voice in making decisions about our day-to-day work. I realised, as program director, that the students are the people we are here for, so it became my focus to always work closely with them.”
Such attributes of cooperation and empathy had been instilled in Professor Grivell since her days as a medical student at Flinders – she completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS) in December 1998 – and then working at Flinders Medical Centre as a junior doctor from 1999-2002. She therefore has a unique perspective, having viewed Flinders University’s medical program from many angles, and sees important strengths at Flinders that have endured.
“I always felt valued as a medical student at Flinders and then as a junior doctor at Flinders Medical Centre. I felt that I had something to offer as part of a team, whether that be a team of learners or a team providing care for patients,” she says. “The senior doctors included me, and that collaborative approach means that students can develop leadership and have a voice as part of the team.”
Evidence-Based Practice
Beyond learning technical expertise in medicine and surgery, Professor Grivell says her Flinders experience established behaviours and mindsets of how best to approach difficult tasks. These lessons were clear and burned a lasting impression. “I saw this collaborative approach that always placed the patient at the centre of the clinical team’s care – and
I took this aspect and carried it into my clinical career,” says Professor Grivell. “As a student, I saw clinicians at Flinders focus on evidencebased practice and talk about the underpinning research that guides our practice as clinicians. It’s what led me towards a combined clinical/research career – the desire to always marry those two aspects together, along with teaching. I always saw the value of those three things being tied together.
“This is where Flinders plays to its strengths, with the University and hospital working in close collaboration and constantly reinforcing that evidence-based research underpins clinical practice. This has remained a pivotal aspect of all the different jobs that I’ve done.
“I really like that Flinders is unique. It has always been prepared to be different, to support the most diverse array of students and medical professionals. And the community of mentors I met through Flinders has been especially strong – I have been able to build strong relationships that have endured and inspired me throughout my career.
“Through my advocacy, research, teaching and clinical work, I hope to have been able to embody a diverse medical career and encourage students and junior doctors to take their own wide-ranging path.”
For the sum of her work, Professor Grivell won the Australian Medical Association (SA) Award for Outstanding Contribution to Medicine in 2021, with particular reference to her influential advocacy that led to the overhaul of South Australia’s abortion laws. “I have never shirked from important responsibilities,” she says, “and I’m proud to have been able to advocate for such positive change.”
Her desire to continue steering change and achieve positive outcomes has triggered a significant shift in her professional direction. She is now based in Canberra, working for the Australian Organ and Tissue Authority, a Commonwealth agency that leads the Government’s national program to improve organ and tissue donation so more Australians have access to a transplant.
“I wanted to spread my wings a bit and move outside of Adelaide, and this represents an exciting and important new challenge for me,” she says. “I think it’s important to stay fresh, to not sit still. I want to keep putting my energy where it will make a difference, and more importantly I want to keep learning.”