Commissioner’s Menstrual Research Network
South Australia’s Commissioner for Children and Young People, Helen Connolly, has established a network of academics working across Australia to further research into menstruation. Their areas of research are diverse and include specialisations in business, health, education and the environment. (Scroll down to link to research projects below).
Members include:
- Dr Mike Armour, Principal Research Fellow, NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/nicm/about_us/people/researchers/mike_armour
- Dr Dani Barrington, Senior Lecturer, School of Population and Global Health, Western Sydney University: https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/dani-barrington
- Dr Christina Curry, Senior Lecturer, Secondary Education, Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/staff_profiles/WSU/doctor_christina_curry
- Dr Sarah Duffy, Senior Lecturer, Hospitality, Marketing and Sport, Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/staff_profiles/WSU/doctor_sarah_duffy
- Dr Tania Ferfolja, Associate Professor, Primary Education, Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/staff_profiles/WSU/associate_professor_tania_ferfolja
- Dr Alex Hawkey, Research Support Program Fellow, Social Equity and Mental Health, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/staff_profiles/WSU/doctor_alex_hawkey
- Dr Julie Hennegan, Senior Research Fellow, Co-Head, Global Adolescent Health Working Group, Burnet Institute: https://www.burnet.edu.au/people-of-burnet/people/julie-hennegan/
- Dr Erin Hunter, Lecturer and Clinical Educator Speech Pathologist, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney: https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/erin-hunter.html
- Dr Ruth Knight, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Faculty of Business and Law, Queensland University of Technology: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/ruth.knight
- Dr Nina Lansbury, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Queensland:
https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/4151 - Professor Gita Mishra, NHMRC Leadership Fellow, School of Public Health, University of Queensland: https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/1324
- Dr Michelle O’Shea, Senior Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University: https://directory.westernsydney.edu.au/search/name/Michelle%20O’Shea
- Dr Felicity Roux, Research Officer, Curtin Medical School, Curtin University:
https://staffportal.curtin.edu.au/staff/profile/view/felicity-roux-e0fad64a/ - Dr Sam Ryan, Associate Research Fellow, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/thri/team/members/samantha_ryan
- Dr Jessie Shipman, Senior Lecturer Social Health Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University: https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/jessie.shipman
- Professor Caroline Smith, Emeritus Professor, NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/thri/team/adjuncts/caroline_smith
- Professor Jane Ussher, Professor of Women’s Health Psychology, Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/staff_profiles/uws_profiles/professor_jane_ussher
- Dr Jannine Williams, Researcher, Faculty of Business & Law, School of Management, Queensland University of Technology: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/jannine.williams
- Angela Semanda, Student, Flinders University:
https://www.flinders.edu.au/international/apply/scholarships/gobeyond/vc-scholarship/angela-semanda
Any academics in Australia wishing to join this network should contact emma.houghton@sa.gov.au.
Recent menstrual research projects undertaken by Australian academics include:
A review led by Dani Barrington from Population and Public Health, University of Western Sydney, of all of existing qualitative research on menstrual experiences in high income countries to develop a model of menstrual experience to improve menstrual health beyond product provision.
Reusable menstrual products have expanded the choices available for menstrual care and can offer long-term cost and environmental benefits. Yet, in high-income settings, efforts to support period product access focus on disposable products. This study by C. Ramsay, J. Hennegan, C.H. Douglass, S. Eddy, A. Head & M.S.C. Lim looks at the use and perceptions among young people in Victoria
Read more here.
Reducing Period Poverty in Australia (2020) is a report by Ruth Knight on the work of Rochelle Courtenay and Sharing the Dignity- the organisation she founded to tackle period poverty in Australia.
The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies, Queensland, University of Technology, Australia
“A day-to-day struggle”: A comparative qualitative study on experiences of women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain by Alexandra Hawkey, K. Jane Chalmers and Mike Armour.
Find out more here.
Roux, F. and Burns, S. and Hendriks, J. and Chih, H.J. 2021 at Curtin University’s School of Population Health are examining ways of ‘Progressing towards adolescent ovulatory menstrual health literacy: a systematic review of school-based interventions’.
Find out more here.
Professor Ruth Knight has published the preliminary results of an Australian study into how periods impact the lives of those who menstruate. The report provides valuable insights into the impact of periods and period poverty on the lives of young people. Read an article in The Conversation here:
Read the final report here.
How women see their premenstrual bodies, by Samantha Ryan, Professor Jane Ussher and Alexandra Hawkey. Mapping the abject: Women’s embodied experiences of premenstrual body dissatisfaction through body-mapping. Samantha Ryan, Jane M Ussher, Alexandra Hawkey, 2022 (sagepub.com)
Read the abstract here:
Menstruation advice online: a new website from University of Western Sydney on menstrual cycles and conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, PMS and more with evidence-based self-care menstrual management strategies including yoga postures, breathing exercises and dietary advice. Visit the website to find out more
Identifying the drivers of menstrual material disposal and washing practices, by Hannah Robinson and Dr Dani Barrington:
Watch Here
Find out more here.
Overcoming the barriers to menstruation management in remote communities, by Dr Nina Lansbury Hall, Professor Sandra Creamer AM and Minnie King:
Read More