Pauli van Heerden (34), from South Africa, is a specialist obstetrician and gynecologist pursuing a master’s level sub-specialization in maternal and fetal medicine at Stellenbosch University and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Tygerberg Hospital. As part of her training, she provides a high-risk obstetric service to women in the Metro East area of Cape Town, where she focuses on complicated pregnancies, from both maternal and fetal aspects.
Pauli’s interest in maternal and newborn health started early in her career; she obtained a diploma in child health from the College of Medicine of South Africa before pursuing a career in obstetrics and gynecology. She is passionate about women’s health in resource-constrained settings and focuses on streamlining processes to improve care for marginalized women. During the Covid-19 pandemic Pauli founded the Tygerberg Baby Drive in collaboration with the NGO, Bless-a-Baby. Her research centers around pre-eclampsia, a disease that disproportionately affects pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa and for which there is currently no cure. Through this work, she hopes to shine a light on the importance of pre-eclampsia research globally, to improve outcomes for women and their babies in low- to middle-income countries.
After she completes her sub-specialization, Pauli will continue to use her knowledge to empower the women in her care by improving their pregnancy experience and outcomes. She hopes to become the first female South Africa-based fetal surgeon and aims to establish the first public healthcare fetal surgery center, making fetal surgery accessible to women in southern Africa.
