Improving Reproductive Health Through Infectious Diseases Research
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,957,108.00
Summary
Infectious diseases that impact upon reproductive health remain a major problem worldwide. This proposal will examine human papillomavirus infection, the role of the human microbiota in a number of conditions (necrotising enterocolitis, bacterial vaginosis, and human papillomavirus infection), and antibiotic resistance in sexually transmitted infections. The knowledge generated will be used to improve diagnostics.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100391
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,228.00
Summary
Reducing Gendered Harm in Involuntary Mental Health Service Provision. Involuntary mental health treatment is often traumatising, with women reporting additional gendered dimensions of harm. Using an action research framework that draws upon the voices of service users, families and professionals, this study aims to develop improved strategies for responding to acute mental distress in women, with a focus on reducing coercion. Expected outcomes include enhanced understandings of the experiences ....Reducing Gendered Harm in Involuntary Mental Health Service Provision. Involuntary mental health treatment is often traumatising, with women reporting additional gendered dimensions of harm. Using an action research framework that draws upon the voices of service users, families and professionals, this study aims to develop improved strategies for responding to acute mental distress in women, with a focus on reducing coercion. Expected outcomes include enhanced understandings of the experiences and impacts of compulsory mental health treatment on women and a co-designed online resource that will support the development of effective, realistic and non-coercive practices in frontline mental healthcare. The project will provide substantial benefits to mental health reform at a national and international level.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100704
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,816.00
Summary
Reframing knowledge of preconception lifestyles: A socioecological approach. This project aims to reframe our understanding of women’s preconception lifestyle health using a novel, socioecological approach. This project expects to generate new knowledge on societal views of weight stigma for preconception women and identify policy stakeholders’ views on integrating preconception into healthy lifestyle policies. Expected outcomes of this project include a new theory- and evidence-informed concept ....Reframing knowledge of preconception lifestyles: A socioecological approach. This project aims to reframe our understanding of women’s preconception lifestyle health using a novel, socioecological approach. This project expects to generate new knowledge on societal views of weight stigma for preconception women and identify policy stakeholders’ views on integrating preconception into healthy lifestyle policies. Expected outcomes of this project include a new theory- and evidence-informed conceptual model for preconception lifestyle health that transcends the current focus on personal responsibility. This should provide significant benefits, such as informing policy to drive systems changes around preconception lifestyle health with concomitant cultural benefits to Australians, leading to improved population health.Read moreRead less
Understanding middle-aged women’s responses to alcohol/breast cancer risks. This project aims to identify the nature of alcohol consumption patterns by Australian women aged 45-64 in different socio-economic status groups, and how these are shaped in response to considerations of trust and future health risks. The project will focus on the known risk of alcohol for the development of breast cancer, which is particularly important given that Australian culture is saturated by alcohol use, marketi ....Understanding middle-aged women’s responses to alcohol/breast cancer risks. This project aims to identify the nature of alcohol consumption patterns by Australian women aged 45-64 in different socio-economic status groups, and how these are shaped in response to considerations of trust and future health risks. The project will focus on the known risk of alcohol for the development of breast cancer, which is particularly important given that Australian culture is saturated by alcohol use, marketing and social acceptability. This project aims to identify new strategies to transform behaviour change initiatives, which may differ by socio-economic status group. The project will be a model for national and global initiatives that seek to develop highly effective alcohol reduction messages and reduce alcohol-related harms.Read moreRead less
Weight stigma in the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum periods. The overall aim of this project is to develop guidance for the translation of weight stigma evidence into preconception, pregnancy and postpartum obesity-related policy. It focuses on the socio-ecological factors that perpetuate weight stigma in women across the reproductive life phase, that is, in women planning a pregnancy, in women who are pregnant and in mothers who have given birth within a 24-month period.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101134
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,338.00
Summary
Contraceptive choice for women with chronic disease. This project aims to understand the contraceptive decision-making practices of Australian women of reproductive age with chronic disease. To reduce high-risk unintended pregnancies in this vulnerable population, this project will develop a tailored educational app to support these women to make contraceptive choices and establish a reproductive life plan. The expected outcomes of the project are to assist women with chronic diseases safely pla ....Contraceptive choice for women with chronic disease. This project aims to understand the contraceptive decision-making practices of Australian women of reproductive age with chronic disease. To reduce high-risk unintended pregnancies in this vulnerable population, this project will develop a tailored educational app to support these women to make contraceptive choices and establish a reproductive life plan. The expected outcomes of the project are to assist women with chronic diseases safely plan pregnancies to ensure maternal personal, social and economic well-being and optimal birth outcomes.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100357
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,925.00
Summary
Using feminist pedagogy to resist harmful messages of weight-loss dieting. This project aims to develop strategies to intervene in destructive weight-loss dieting norms aimed at women at a cultural level. Weight-loss dieting is a gateway to developing eating disorders; psychiatric conditions with a total socioeconomic cost of $69.7 billion in Australia and the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. This project uses feminist teaching methods to learn how to resist diet messages and crea ....Using feminist pedagogy to resist harmful messages of weight-loss dieting. This project aims to develop strategies to intervene in destructive weight-loss dieting norms aimed at women at a cultural level. Weight-loss dieting is a gateway to developing eating disorders; psychiatric conditions with a total socioeconomic cost of $69.7 billion in Australia and the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. This project uses feminist teaching methods to learn how to resist diet messages and create new messages to challenge their normalisation. The expected outcomes of this project are a novel non-diet framework and social movement to raise public awareness about the harms of dieting on physical and mental health. Read moreRead less
Understanding the long term impact of childhood emotional abuse. This project will generate new knowledge about the social dimensions of childhood emotional abuse. Experiences of childhood emotional abuse are extremely common, with many affected individuals going on to face long term health problems, social marginalisation, intergenerational family violence and re-victimisation. This project will investigate how different social contexts influence childhood emotional abuse itself and the interco ....Understanding the long term impact of childhood emotional abuse. This project will generate new knowledge about the social dimensions of childhood emotional abuse. Experiences of childhood emotional abuse are extremely common, with many affected individuals going on to face long term health problems, social marginalisation, intergenerational family violence and re-victimisation. This project will investigate how different social contexts influence childhood emotional abuse itself and the interconnected problems flowing from it that often persist over the life course. The findings of this project will increase the evidence base and inform the future development of policy and practice that aims to prevent the intergenerational transmission of violence and abuse, and improve health and social outcomes. Read moreRead less
Understanding the determinants of age-related muscle wasting in females . This project aims to investigate the fundamental mechanisms underlying age-related muscle wasting in females. Females live longer than males and are more susceptible to the consequences of muscle ageing. Yet, our current knowledge is overwhelmingly inferred from findings from male cohorts. By comprehensively mapping the functional, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of ageing in female muscle, this project will generate n ....Understanding the determinants of age-related muscle wasting in females . This project aims to investigate the fundamental mechanisms underlying age-related muscle wasting in females. Females live longer than males and are more susceptible to the consequences of muscle ageing. Yet, our current knowledge is overwhelmingly inferred from findings from male cohorts. By comprehensively mapping the functional, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of ageing in female muscle, this project will generate new, fundamental knowledge that will allow a unique interpretation of previous research through a sex-specific lens. This knowledge will contribute to better inform sex-specific models of research and practice in the future, ultimately delivering economic and social benefits for Australia and international communities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100151
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,891.00
Summary
Institutional abortion stigma as a barrier to equitable access. This project aims to understand how ingrained institutional abortion stigma produces barriers to access. Despite progressive law reform, access to abortion in Australia remains uneven and discriminates against the most marginal women. Institutions of law, government, medical training and health care significantly influence access to abortion. The nature and extent of this influence is under-researched and poorly understood. The proj ....Institutional abortion stigma as a barrier to equitable access. This project aims to understand how ingrained institutional abortion stigma produces barriers to access. Despite progressive law reform, access to abortion in Australia remains uneven and discriminates against the most marginal women. Institutions of law, government, medical training and health care significantly influence access to abortion. The nature and extent of this influence is under-researched and poorly understood. The project expects to identify and begin enacting the institutional-level change required for more equitable access to reproductive health care. The anticipated benefits include developing tools to optimise abortion access and, in so doing, helping to meet a goal repeatedly highlighted by State and Federal governments.Read moreRead less