Dr Deborah Neesham is a Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who is certified as a Gynaecological Oncologist, consulting and operating at Frances Perry House. She is a consultant specialist at the Royal Women’s Hospital in the Oncology and Dysplasia unit. She has been a consultant gynaecologist at the hospital since qualifying as a Gynaecological Oncologist in 1998. She is a member of the Parkville Gynaeoncology Group and her private rooms are located in the Frances Perry House Private Consulting Suites on the second floor of the Royal Women’s Hospital which is co-located with Frances Perry House.

Dr Neesham pioneered the use of laparoscopic surgery to treat endometrial cancer as part of a multinational trial at the Royal Women’s Hospital. The use of laparoscopic surgery has been extended to treat selected women with cervical or ovarian cancer. Ongoing trials are being conducted in the use of the sentinel node techniques for gynaecological malignancies through advanced laparoscopic techniques.

Dr Neesham is experienced in performing Colposcopy and the management of patients with dysplasia of the cervix, vagina and vulva. Colposcopy is performed in the rooms and surgical treatments are performed in the hospital setting under local or general anaesthetic, depending on the clinical situation. She was a member of the Board of Victorian Cytology Services from 2001 to 2007.

Dr Neesham is actively involved in clinical trials particularly in the management of ovarian cancer in conjunction with the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Consortium based in Parkville and also through the Australia and New Zealand Gynaecological Oncology Group (ANZGOG).

Dr Neesham was chair of the Gynaecological Oncology Subcommittee at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) from 2006 to 2009, and a member of the committee for 10 years in total.

She is currently an examiner for the RANZCOG and is co-ordinator of the oral subspecialty exam in Gynaecological Oncology (CGO) which certifies that trainees are suitable to practice as a gynaecological oncologist and eligible to join the Australian Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ASGO) which is a society which was formed in 1986 with the primary aim being to promote and improve standards of care of patients with gynaecologic cancer. She is actively involved in surgical training, mentoring, and lecturing general gynaecology trainees, and examines their colposcopy skills as part of their specialty training assessment through RANZCOG. She was a member of the board of the Women’s Cancer Foundation from 2008 to 2016. She was included on the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll in 2008 in recognition of her services to women in Victoria with ovarian cancer.

Dr Neesham is committed to the improvement in outcome of women diagnosed with gynaecological malignancy and preinvasive disorders of the female genital tract.