Inaugural Lecture: Professor Melanie Davies

Professor Melanie Davies is a consultant gynaecologist in the UCLH Reproductive Medicine Unit and leads UCL research into menopause care. She is Chief Investigator for the POISE study, aiming to identify the best hormone therapy for women under 40, and the BLUSH trial of non-hormonal treatments for hot flushes. These were awarded £4million by NIHR. She previously chaired the national Clinical Studies Group for Post-Reproductive Health, drawing attention to this under-researched area.

Melanie leads clinical services for women with premature ovarian insufficiency and Turner syndrome. She undertakes joint clinics with specialists from endocrinology, paediatric endocrinology, haematology and metabolic medicine. She set up an ‘emergency service’ for egg/embryo/ovarian freezing for women facing cancer or conditions threatening fertility, and runs dedicated reproductive services for cancer survivors. She initiated a national clinical network, Fertility Preservation UK, and chairs the steering group of UK-STORE, a national registry for fertility tissue preservation.

Melanie has been an expert member of 3 NICE guidelines (Fertility, Menopause, and Familial Ovarian Cancer) and Clinical Director for the NICE Women’s Health programme 2014-18, overseeing a further 10 national guidelines implemented across the NHS. She contributes to evidence-based clinical guidelines for several professional associations and previously chaired the RCOG guideline committee.

Other external roles have included clinical advisor to the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority, elected representative on RCOG Council, and Medical Women’s Federation President. Melanie ran the UCLH training programme in Reproductive Medicine for 10 years and chaired RCOG Subspecialty Training through the COVID pandemic.

She is currently Chair of Trustees of the EGA Hospital Charity, Council member for the British Menopause Society and Trustee of the British Fertility Society.