The Western Australian Health Translation Network has received a $50,000 establishment grant from the Australian Health Research Alliance (AHRA) for a collaborative to promote women researchers and women’s health research.
This initiative will build a sustainable network across a diverse group of women researchers with a focus on the key nine priority areas identified by the AHRA Women’s Health Research, Translation and Impact Network:
- Preconception, pregnancy, postpartum and intrapartum health of women and babies
- Mental health
- Reproductive health
- Chronic disease and preventative health including cancer and heart disease
- Healthy lifestyle, nutrition, physical activity and the prevention of obesity
- Violence and abuse
- Indigenous health
- Healthy ageing
- Sexual health
The establishment of this WA network, to be led by Dr Jacqueline Frayne and A/Prof Jennifer Stone, will allow for identification of priority research areas that are important to the local WA community, development of collaborative research ideas, and organisation of networking and mentorship opportunities.
Over the course of the two-year grant, the network’s activities will include a mentorship program for early- to mid-career researchers and a women’s health research conference.
One of the first steps in this initiative will be to identify lead researchers in the fields of all nine priority areas within WA, who will be invited to form a research network.
Consumer representation will be sought through WAHTN’s Consumer and Community Involvement Program (CCIProgram).
Look out for updates on this exciting initiative via our website, newsletter and social media channels.
In related news, three Western Australian women have received Early and Mid-Career Researcher Awards from the WHRTN.