Women's health
UNSW has a bold vision to improve the lifelong health, wellbeing, safety and productivity of women and girls in Australia and around the world.
Women's health extends far beyond reproductive care. Women face significant gaps in research evidence, diagnosis, treatment, care pathways, health system design, and incidents of gender-based violence. These inequities affect both women-specific conditions, such as endometriosis, fertility and menopause, and major health challenges including cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, mental ill-health, pain and dementia.
Addressing these gaps requires more than individual research projects. At UNSW, experts across medicine, science, engineering, data, business, law, design, social sciences, and public policy work together to improve women's health across every stage of life. This multidisciplinary approach strengthens the evidence base, builds workforce capability, fosters clinical and community partnerships, informs policy, and translates research into new products, services and models of care.
How UNSW is improving women's health
Fundamental research & discovery
We work across disciplines to generate new knowledge about female biology, women's health conditions and the social/systemic factors that shape health outcomes. Our research identifies unmet needs and drives better approaches to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
Education & workforce
We educate the current and future health workforce and build capability in sex- and gender-responsive practice, care, research, policy and innovation. This includes undergraduate and postgraduate education, higher degree research, professional learning and leadership development.
Clinical care & translation
Through affiliated hospitals, medical research institutes, health precincts and health-system partners, UNSW helps translate evidence into clinical practice. Our researchers and clinicians contribute to new diagnostics, treatments, integrated care models, clinical trials and patient pathways.
Policy, advocacy & systems change
UNSW brings together expertise in public health, policy, law, human rights, economics, advocacy and health-system design. We generate evidence for decision-makers, influence policy and practice, and examine the structural and social factors that shape women's health.
Innovation, entrepreneurship & commercialisation
UNSW connects scientific and clinical expertise with venture building, investors and commercialisation support to turn unmet women’s health needs into scalable solutions. Through flagship programs such as the 10x Women's Health Accelerator we move promising diagnostics, devices, and therapeutics toward real-world impact.
Areas of expertise
UNSW brings together researchers, clinicians, educators, policy specialists and innovators to address women's health across the life course. The following areas provide a snapshot of our expertise. Get in touch and we can connect you with the right people, facilities, programs and partners.
Meet our experts
Our researchers and practicioners work across disciplines and sectors to improve women's health through discovery, education, clinical translation, policy and innovation.
The George Institute for Global Health
Amanda Henry
Professor
Amanda Henry is an expert in high-risk pregnancy, post-pregnancy health and maternity systems of care and how they affect women's lifelong health
The Centre for Sex & Gender Equity in Health & Medicine
Bronwyn Graham
Professor
Bronwyn Graham is a behavioural neuroscientist, a clinical psychologist, and a globally recognised expert in women’s mental health.
Ainsworth Endometriosis Research Centre
Jason Abbott
Professor
Jason Abbott is a surgeon and leading expert in endometriosis, pelvic pain, pelvic floor muscle pain, and menstrual disorders vaginal laser treatments.
Psychology
Kaarin Anstey
Scientia Professor
Kaarin Anstey is an expert in congnitive resilience. Her research focuses on the causes, consequences and prevention of cognitive ageing and dementia.
Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering
Tracie Barber
Professor
Tracie Barber combines computational and experimental fluid dynamic techniques to solve clinical and industrial problems in vascular and microfluidics flow.
Social Sciences
Jackie Leach Scully
Professor
Jackie Leach Scully is an internationally recognised bioethicist specialising in disability and feminist bioethics.
Australian Human Rights Institute
Justine Nolan
Professor
Justine's research focuses on the intersection of business and human rights, in particular, supply chain responsibility for human rights and modern slavery.
UNSW Tax & Business Advisory Clinic
Ann Kayis-Kumar
Professor
Ann uses tax as a mechanism to achieve social justice across the taxpaying spectrum through a combination of grassroots casework and empirical research.
The George Institute for Global Health
Keziah Bennet-Brook
Program Head, Guunu-maana
Keziah is a leader in implementation of strategic organisational activities to increase Indigenous cultural safety and capability within global health research.
Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute
Sally Dunwoodie
Professor
Sally is a world leading esearcher focussed on understanding genetic and environmental factors that affect mammalian embryogenesis and cause birth defects.
Centres & institutes
UNSW's women's health ecosystem includes major centres, institutes and programs that connect specialist expertise, infrastructure and partnerships. Below are some of our flagship initiatives.
Innovation ecosystem
UNSW is committed to improving Women’s Health by accelerating the next generation of women's health startups.
We're building Australia’s leading pipeline of women’s health startups by providing tailored, women’s health-specific support across research, clinical, and commercialisation ecosystems.
We welcome collaboration with healthcare providers, industry, investors, government, philanthropy and community organisations seeking to validate, develop, fund or scale evidence-based women's health solutions.
Get involved
Access interdisciplinary expertise, clinical and community networks, research infrastructure, students and commercialisation pathways.
