Robotic Technology in Women's Healthcare

Director of Robotic Surgery, Kaiser San Diego:

Meredith McMullen, MD, FACOG is a Fellowship-trained, Board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist practicing in Southern California with a subspecialty focus in minimally invasive robotic and laparoscopic gynecologic surgery. 

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. McMullen made San Diego her home after finishing her two-year fellowship in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla. She then joined one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plans in 2015 and soon after facilitated the launch of the robotic myomectomy division, which has successfully completed hundreds of robotic myomectomy procedures. This procedure allows her to remove large watermelon-sized benign tumors called fibroids from the uterus using advanced robotic technology, all while preserving fertility and the natural structures of the female pelvis.

Subspecialty Focus:

Fibroids are common tumors associated with heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, urinary frequency, pregnancy complications, and infertility. They affect 1:4 Black women and 1:10 Caucasian women. Implementing Intuitive Surgical’s DaVinci robotic technology allows Dr. McMullen to confer better surgical precision, faster healing times for patients, less blood loss, fewer postoperative complications, and better cosmetic results than traditional surgery. One of Dr. McMullen’s greatest passions is bringing advanced technology to the forefront of women’s healthcare and providing minimally invasive surgical alternatives to women in the community. Her commitment to excellence is comprehensive.  

How it Began:

Dr. McMullen's passion for women's healthcare stems from her undergraduate studies at Amherst College, where she had the opportunity to study abroad in Kenya and Tanzania. While there, she worked with children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic, which revealed the critical need for quality healthcare services, especially for women. This experience profoundly changed her, inspiring Dr. McMullen to win a national Watson Fellowship, which granted her the opportunity to further explore this epidemic independently for a year in South Africa, Botswana, and Uganda. There she focused on the reduction in mother-to-child transmission of HIV as well as nutrition and healthcare for children orphaned by AIDS.

Since then, Dr. McMullen has dedicated her career to improving women's health outcomes through research, education, and advocacy. Her work has earned her a reputation as a leading expert in the field of women's healthcare and continues to inspire new generations of healthcare professionals to make a difference in the world.

Dr. McMullen’s other interests include:

• Enjoying the great outdoor playground of SOCAL
• Equestrianism
• Alpine skiing
• Hiking
• Playing cello
• Refining her French language skills