Hugh P. Robinson MD, FRCOG, DDU was born in 1943. He graduated MB Ch.B from the University of Glasgow in 1967. He obtained the qualification of Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 1971 and Fellowship in 1983. From 1971 to 1976, Robinson worked at the Queen Mother's Hospital, Glasgow as a Medical Research Council (MRC) reseach registrar under the direct supervision of the late Professor Ian Donald. He became lecturer at the University of Glasgow from 1976-1978 under the newly appointed chair Professor Charles Whitfield. In 1978 he obtained his MD (Doctor of Medicine) from the University of Glasgow. His thesis was on "The evaluation of early pregnancy and its complications by diagnostic ultrasound". In the same year Robinson immigrated to Australia and took up the appointment of First Assistant in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Melbourne. In 1979 he received the Australian Diploma in Diagnostic Ultrasound (DDU), one of the earliest certification in the proficiency in diagnostic ultrasonography. Since 1981 he was also senior specialist and consultant in Ultrasound at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne.
Hugh Robinson is well-known for his work on early pregnancy and in particular being the "inventer" of the 'crown-rump length' (CRL) measurement, which has become the most accurate and widely-used method for dating a pregnancy in the first trimester.
His seminal article appeared in the October 6th issue of the British Medical Journal in 1973 entitled "Sonar measurement of fetal crown-rump length as means of assessing maturity in first trimester of pregnancy". In the article he described the methodology for this new measurement using the bi-stable B scanner (the Diasonograph) and reported on the excellent correlation between the measurement and gestational age in the first trimester. He had also published extensively in the several years as research registrar on the determination of fetal cardiac pulsations using the combined A- and B- mode equipment and the diagnosis of early pregnancy failures by ultrasound. He had very importantly pointed out the prognostic significance that can be attached to the finding of an intact fetal heartbeat in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy in relation to subsequent fetal demise. This had profound influence on the mangement of patients with threatened abortion.
His work with B-J Hackeloer from Germany on tracking ovarian follicles had enabled him to contribute very significantly to the artificial reproductive programs in the early 1980s at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne then under the able leadership of Professor Roger Pepperell. Together with Lachlan de Crespigny, Colm O'Herlihy and others, they were able to establish ultrasonic criterion and correlations in normal and hormone stimulated cycles and popularized the use of ultrasound as a standard tool in ovulation induction and in-vitro fertilization programs. With de Crespigny, they also produced important work on the assessment of fetal intra-ventricular haemorrhage, the diagnosis of various congenital malformations and on ultrasound-guided needle procedures.
Hugh Robinson is author or co-author of over 100 peer review publications on ultrasound and other areas in obstetrics and gynaecology. He was a Member of the Victorian State Committee of the RACOG in Australia from 1981 - 1994, and a Federal Councillor from 1987 - 1992. He was Chairman of the Ultrasound Subspecialty Committee between 1987 - 1994. Robinson was also a member of the Expert Co-ordinating Committee on Genetic Services to the Health Department of Victoria from 1979 - 1995, and the Fetal abnormality Sub-Committee of the Victorian Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric-Mortality and Morbidity. He was also member of the Victorian Health and Community Services Working Party on Genetic Services from 1995 - 1999 and Member of the Executive Board of the Australian Association of Obstetrical and Gynaecological Ultrasonologists from 1994 - 1999.
Hugh Robinson is now in private practice at the Freemasons Maternity Hospital in East Melboune, Australia.