Dr Andrea Woolner

Biography

Dr Andrea Woolner (she/her) is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Aberdeen Centre for Women's Health Research. She is also an Honorary Consultant Obstetrician and the Early Pregnancy Lead for NHS Grampian, based in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital. 

Dr Woolner's research interests include - early pregnancy including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and recurrent miscarriage; adverse pregnancy outcomes including late miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth; preconception health; reproductive health; and improving access and equity to maternity care.

Background

Andrea graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2010 with MBChB with Honours and a 1st class intercalated BSc in Medical Science. Andrea completed her Academic Foundation training in NHS Highland and NHS Grampian from 2010-2012, whilst simulataneously obtaining a PgCert in Medical Research Skills from the University of Aberdeen. She was jointly awarded the PgCert MRS Research prize.

Andrea thereafter completed clinical specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology from 2012 - 2021, becoming a SCREDs Clinical lecturer in 2013 at the University of Aberdeen.  She was awarded a PhD in Public Health from the University of Aberdeen in June 2019, following defence of her thesis titled "An investigation of familial predisposition to pregnancy loss". She won the best overall oral presentation prize at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) World Congress in June 2019 presenting her PhD findings. She joined the Aberdeen Centre for Women's Health Research in August 2021 as a Senior Clinical Lecturer and is an Honorary Consultant Obstetrician and Early Pregnancy Lead at NHS Grampian. 

Prizes and Awards

Postgraduate prizes & awards

2020        Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Travel award (£4000) – Green Armytage and Spackman travelling scholarship

2019       Best overall oral presentation at RCOG World Congress, London, June 2019

2019       Best oral presentation for early pregnancy category at RCOG World Congress, June 2019

2015       Harold Malkin prize from RCOG – This prestigious award is awarded to the applicant who submits the best original research paper while being of a Specialty registrar grade in a hospital in the UK or Republic of Ireland.

2014       Dunkeld Senior Scottish O&G Staff conference prize for best oral presentation

2013       NOGS (Regional Obstetrics & Gynaecology meeting) conference prize for best oral presentation

2012       AMOnGST conference prize for best oral presentation

2012       PgCert MRS Research Prize 

Research Overview

Dr Woolner's research interests include - early pregnancy including recurrent miscarriage; preterm birth; preconception health; reproductive health; and improving pregnancy outcomes.

Current Research

The PROTEA study | Aberdeen Centre for Women's Health Research | The University of Aberdeen

AMETHYST | Trials A-Z | Aberdeen Centre for Evaluation | The University of Aberdeen

PASTeL Research programme – Pregnancy After Second Trimester pregnancy Loss (STPL) | Aberdeen Centre for Women's Health Research | The University of Aberdeen

Funding and Grants

Aug 2025 ongoing            Co-supervisor on Roy Weir Fellowship – for postdoctoral fellowship for research on NIPT for fetal chromosomal screening in NHS

June 2025 ongoing           Co-applicant on CSO grant – investigating used of PLGF-1 as a first trimester screening test

Dec 2024 ongoing          Co-applicant NIHR Maternal inequalities Consortium- i6 project. Named lead for capacity building 

Nov 2024 ongoing           NIHR EME – AMETHYST trial (£1.68 million) multicentre RCT comparing methotrexate + mifepristone for tubal ectopic pregnancy versus methotrexate alone

Sep 2023 ongoing            Tommy’s Pregnancy & Baby Loss charity UK (£64,000) – DAHLIA Study: Deciphering the antenatal signature and pathological placental lesions in second trimester miscarriage 

Aug 2023 ongoing            Chief Scientist Office (CSO) Scotland (£299,538) PROTEA Study- Progesterone for threatened miscarriage: a cohort study in Scotland

Sep 2023            Tommy’s Pregnancy & Baby Loss charity UK (£2650) – PASTeL-3 Study: a survey of healthcare provision for late miscarriage in UK and Ireland. Completed.

May 2023           ISSF (University of Aberdeen) Research networking grant (£1260.30) . Completed.

Apr 2023            Tommy’s Pregnancy & Baby Loss charity (£10,242) PASTeL-2 study – investigating pregnancy outcomes after late miscarriage and termination for medical/fetal reason. Completed.

Sep 2022            ISSF Wellcome PPI grant (£2573.50) to set up PPI group Exploring an alternative treatment for ectopic pregnancy. Completed.

Sep 2022            ISSF Wellcome PPI grant (£1673.50) to set up PPI group Using progesterone treatment to prevent miscarriage – exploring patient and public views and priorities. Completed.

Jan 2020               Glasgow Hospital Children’s Charity (GCHC) (£4,998). Andrea was awarded a small project grant from the Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity (GCHC) to fund data management and statistical support for observational study investigating risk of preterm birth and miscarriage after a Caesarean section at full dilatation using Aberdeen Maternity Neonatal Databank (AMND) data. Completed.

February 2015      Wellbeing of Women / BMFMS Entry level scholarship (£19,939). Andrea was successful in gaining a Wellbeing of Women Entry level Scholarship to undertake a population-based cohort study titled: The impact of birth-related perineal injury on future pregnancies: a Scottish population-based cohort study. Completed.

Teaching Responsibilities

Andrea leads the Year 3 MBChB undergraduate Reproduction (including O&G, Breast, Sexual health) block at the University of Aberdeen. 

Andrea is the lead for MBChB Ethics & Law curriculum at the University of Aberdeen

Andrea is a lecturer for the postgraduate Global health and undergraduate MBChB Humanities courses - where she teaches on maternal and perinatal global health. 

Andrea was the lead tutor for the PgCert in Medical Research skills Editorial teaching session as part of the Scientific Writing course 2014 - 2016.