About us
WOMEN’S OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY SPECIALISTS
Providing excellence in women’s obstetric and gynaecological health care
Women’s Obstetric and Gynaecology Specialists (WOGS) was established in 1998. Our five female obstetricians and gynaecologists – Dr Jenny Dowd, Dr Kym Jansen, Dr Renee Wong, Dr Philippa Costley and Dr Carin Black – are dedicated to providing you with the highest standard of specialist health care in a supportive environment.
WOMEN’S OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY SPECIALISTS
Providing excellence in women’s obstetric and gynaecological health care
Women’s Obstetric and Gynaecology Specialists (WOGS) was established in 1998. Our five female obstetricians and gynaecologists – Dr Jenny Dowd, Dr Kym Jansen, Dr Renee Wong, Dr Philippa Costley and Dr Carin Black – are dedicated to providing you with the highest standard of specialist health care in a supportive environment.
WOMEN LOOKING AFTER WOMEN
Meet the team
The Women’s Obstetric & Gynaecology Specialists comprises a highly skilled and experienced team. Dr Jenny Dowd, Dr Carin Black, Dr Kym Jansen, Dr Renee Wong and Dr Philippa Costley provide 24-hour Consultant care for our patients.
We also offer the services of a specialist gynaecologist, Dr Kimberley Norton-Old.
Each specialist is dedicated to forming empathic, caring relationships with patients and every member of the team brings a unique set of skills and expertise.
WOMEN LOOKING AFTER WOMEN
Meet the team
The Women’s Obstetric & Gynaecology Specialists comprises a highly skilled and experienced team. Dr Jenny Dowd, Dr Carin Black, Dr Kym Jansen, Dr Renee Wong and Dr Philippa Costley provide 24-hour Consultant care for our patients.
We also offer the services of a specialist gynaecologist, Dr Kimberley Norton-Old.
Each specialist is dedicated to forming empathic, caring relationships with patients and every member of the team brings a unique set of skills and expertise.
PREGNANCY, BIRTH AND POSTNATAL CARE
Midwives
Elizabeth, Casey & Gabrielle are our midwives and an essential part of the WOGS team. Warm, knowledgeable and understanding, they’re highly experienced in all aspects of pregnancy, birth and postnatal care.
They can provide you with sound advice, information and reassurance, and will answer any questions you might have about pregnancy and birth. They can also help with advice and support early parenting issues such as breastfeeding.
One of our midwives will contact you prior to your first appointment to touch base. If your primary obstetrician is called away for delivery during one of your scheduled antenatal appointments, a WOGS midwife may conduct your consultation.
We offer our new patients a dedicated appointment with a midwife at about 24 weeks to discuss childbirth and early parenting preparation. This includes written information and details about videos on our website and classes run by Frances Perry House and other organisations.
If you have any questions in the weeks leading up to your first appointment – or at any point in your pregnancy – please don’t hesitate to contact them from Monday to Friday, any time between 9am and 4.45pm.
Please contact 9348 1110 for more information.
PREGNANCY, BIRTH AND POSTNATAL CARE
Midwives
Elizabeth, Casey & Gabrielle are our midwives and an essential part of the WOGS team. Warm, knowledgeable and understanding, they’re highly experienced in all aspects of pregnancy, birth and postnatal care.
They can provide you with sound advice, information and reassurance, and will answer any questions you might have about pregnancy and birth. They can also help with advice and support early parenting issues such as breastfeeding.
One of our midwives will contact you prior to your first appointment to touch base. If your primary obstetrician is called away for delivery during one of your scheduled antenatal appointments, a WOGS midwife may conduct your consultation.
We offer our new patients a dedicated appointment with a midwife at about 24 weeks to discuss childbirth and early parenting preparation. This includes written information and details about videos on our website and classes run by Frances Perry House and other organisations.
If you have any questions in the weeks leading up to your first appointment – or at any point in your pregnancy – please don’t hesitate to contact them from Monday to Friday, any time between 9am and 4.45pm.
Please contact 9348 1110 for more information.
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
Our Practice Manager and Staff
Our administrative team is led by our Practice Manager, Stacey. Stacey has been working at WOGS since 2016 and is a key member of our team. Stacey is friendly and approachable, and encourages patients to contact her about any administrative issues during their care.
Our friendly reception staff Robyn, Sasha, Angela, Roanne and Chamali are experienced medical receptionists who have a deep understanding of our practice. They can assist you with booking both obstetric and gynaecological appointments and procedures, and are happy to answer questions you may have about becoming one of our patients.
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
Our Practice Manager and Staff
Our administrative team is led by our Practice Manager, Stacey. Stacey has been working at WOGS since 2016 and is a key member of our team. Stacey is friendly and approachable, and encourages patients to contact her about any administrative issues during their care.
Our friendly reception staff Silvia, Robyn, Sasha and Angela are experienced medical receptionists who have a deep understanding of our practice. They can assist you with booking both obstetric and gynaecological appointments and procedures, and are happy to answer questions you may have about becoming one of our patients.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
The history of WOGS
In the mid-nineties, Angelie Lee, Jenny Dowd and Khai Mohamed Noor were completing their advanced training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. As they considered their professional future, they were struck by the demands made on private obstetricians. Factors such as mental and physical exhaustion, lack of time with family and precious little medical support took a considerable toll on practitioners, and this inevitably affected the quality of care provided to patients.
Determined to challenge this way of doing things, Angelie, Jenny and Khai formulated the notion of a shared group practice. Before launching their practice, they invested a lot of time in planning how to organise their work and combine their professional expertise and personal attributes to provide patients with the very best in pregnancy care.
WOGS opened its doors on January 22 1998 at 96 Grattan Street. The team consisted of Angie, Jenny, Khai and practice manager, secretary and nurse, Kerryn. Kym Jansen joined in 2001 (having already had two children), covering for Jenny when she had her second baby. Khai and Kerryn (the Practice Manager) also produced ‘Woglets’ in that year.
The familiar practice name – WOGS – raised some eyebrows, but it trips off the tongue more readily than Women’s Obstetric and Gynaecology Specialists… and it’s certainly less out there than some of the alternatives that were considered.
Those who expected the group concept to fail because ‘patients won’t know who their doctor is’ or ‘women can’t be mothers and good obstetricians’ were quickly proved wrong. At a time when the Australian Medical Association was pushing for safe hours for hospital doctors, WOGS was proof of the benefits of sharing the on-call duties in private practice, where patients loved being cared for by a team who worked together so cohesively.
When the Royal Women’s Hospital moved in 2008, we moved our rooms to be co-located above it. We booked all our patients on site at Frances Perry House so we could be available at short notice. The new location also allowed us to ‘give back’ by working in public clinics, operating theatres and mentoring and training the next generation of O&G specialists.
The WOGS approach led to sustained success, creating the need for a fifth specialist. Renee Wong joined the team in 2010, after completing her advanced training in Toronto, Canada. As well as bringing significant expertise and experience, Renee has added four more Woglets to the brood – two sets of twins!
When Angie decided to retire in 2016, we were fortunate to find a perfect fit in her replacement, Philippa (Pip) Costley. A highly accomplished obstetrician and gynaecologist, Pip is coaxing the rest of the team into the social media age. Pip has also brought us three more Woglets (all of whom were delivered by the practice, too!).
Another big change occurred in 2023 when Khai Mohamed-Noor retired thus allowing us to permanently welcome Carin Black, a respected colleague who has worked all around Australia and finally settled back in Melbourne. Carin has an interest in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and has two sons to add to our flock.
WOGS has had midwives working in the rooms since 2008. Elizabeth and now Jesmen, Casey and Cara add a special element to the overall experience of being a patient with us, being constantly available to reassure, counsel and educate our patients.
We have been fortunate in our practice managers. Tragically, we lost Kerryn to breast cancer in 2015, and Rosemary led us magnificently before handing over to Sammy and now Stacey. Our friendly and highly professional front desk staff are also a much-loved and an essential part of the team.
So here we are, with over 25 years of successful group private practice and the delivery of thousands of babies. WOGS will keep growing and developing. We continue to be pioneers in new aspects of care, being – to cite just one example – the first private practice to institute perinatal mental health screening. We also grow and adapt our gynaecology service, keeping up to date with new operations and procedures.
WOGS will embrace any innovation that enables us to provide better care to our patients as we constantly strive to provide the highest quality pregnancy care.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
The history of WOGS
In the mid-nineties, Angelie Lee, Jenny Dowd and Khai Mohamed Noor were completing their advanced training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. As they considered their professional future, they were struck by the demands made on private obstetricians. Factors such as mental and physical exhaustion, lack of time with family and precious little medical support took a considerable toll on practitioners, and this inevitably affected the quality of care provided to patients.
Determined to challenge this way of doing things, Angelie, Jenny and Khai formulated the notion of a shared group practice. Before launching their practice, they invested a lot of time in planning how to organise their work and combine their professional expertise and personal attributes to provide patients with the very best in pregnancy care.
WOGS opened its doors on January 22 1998 at 96 Grattan Street. The team consisted of Angie, Jenny, Khai and practice manager, secretary and nurse, Kerryn. Kym Jansen joined in 2001 (having already had two children), covering for Jenny when she had her second baby. Khai and Kerryn (the Practice Manager) also produced ‘Woglets’ in that year.
The familiar practice name – WOGS – raised some eyebrows, but it trips off the tongue more readily than Women’s Obstetric and Gynaecology Specialists… and it’s certainly less out there than some of the alternatives that were considered.
Those who expected the group concept to fail because ‘patients won’t know who their doctor is’ or ‘women can’t be mothers and good obstetricians’ were quickly proved wrong. At a time when the Australian Medical Association was pushing for safe hours for hospital doctors, WOGS was proof of the benefits of sharing the on-call duties in private practice, where patients loved being cared for by a team who worked together so cohesively.
When the Royal Women’s Hospital moved in 2008, we moved our rooms to be co-located above it. We booked all our patients on site at Frances Perry House so we could be available at short notice. The new location also allowed us to ‘give back’ by working in public clinics, operating theatres and mentoring and training the next generation of O&G specialists.
The WOGS approach led to sustained success, creating the need for a fifth specialist. Renee Wong joined the team in 2010, after completing her advanced training in Toronto, Canada. As well as bringing significant expertise and experience, Renee has added four more Woglets to the brood – two sets of twins!
When Angie decided to retire in 2016, we were fortunate to find a perfect fit in her replacement, Philippa (Pip) Costley. A highly accomplished obstetrician and gynaecologist, Pip is coaxing the rest of the team into the social media age. Pip has also brought us three more Woglets (all of whom were delivered by the practice, too!).
Another big change occurred in 2023 when Khai Mohamed-Noor retired thus allowing us to permanently welcome Carin Black, a respected colleague who has worked all around Australia and finally settled back in Melbourne. Carin has an interest in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and has two sons to add to our flock.
WOGS has had midwives working in the rooms since 2008. Elizabeth and now Jesmen, Casey and Cara add a special element to the overall experience of being a patient with us, being constantly available to reassure, counsel and educate our patients.
We have been fortunate in our practice managers. Tragically, we lost Kerryn to breast cancer in 2015, and Rosemary led us magnificently before handing over to Sammy and now Stacey. Our friendly and highly professional front desk staff are also a much-loved and an essential part of the team.
So here we are, with over 25 years of successful group private practice and the delivery of thousands of babies. WOGS will keep growing and developing. We continue to be pioneers in new aspects of care, being – to cite just one example – the first private practice to institute perinatal mental health screening. We also grow and adapt our gynaecology service, keeping up to date with new operations and procedures.
WOGS will embrace any innovation that enables us to provide better care to our patients as we constantly strive to provide the highest quality pregnancy care.