Associate Professor Julie Hennegan is a specialist in global women's and girls’ health. With a focus on global menstrual and reproductive health, Julie now joins the AWaGHR Centre to continue improving the outcomes for women and girls in an international context.
We spoke to Associate Professor Julie Hennegan about her research and how it feels to return to her alma mater after working interstate at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne and internationally as a research associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (USA) and doctoral research at the University of Oxford (UK).
Could you tell me a bit about your research focus on global menstrual and reproductive health?
I want to see a world where women's and girls' menstrual and reproductive health needs are prioritised and supported by effective policy and practice. To advance menstrual health as a priority, I have worked to help these needs be accurately captured in global monitoring and research data, and I currently lead a cohort study in Bangladesh documenting adolescent girls' changing menstrual health needs and the impact this has on their health and social outcomes to strengthen the evidence-based case for investment. I also lead work supporting the development and evaluation of interventions to support menstrual and reproductive health in a range of settings.
Why is this topic important?
An estimated 2.1 billion people menstruate, with 306 million residing in least developed countries. Menstrual health is essential for their health and for gender equity, but has been a neglected and underfunded research and health priority. Millions of women and girls lack access to: resources to care for their bodies during menstruation, education, healthcare and a supportive social environment. We need better evidence to see menstrual health prioritised and to inform effective policy and practice.
How does it feel to return to UQ after working and studying interstate and abroad?
It feels like coming home. I've spent 15 years away, and it's a privilege to bring this experience back home to UQ and to Brisbane.
What are you most excited about in the new role?
I'm so excited by the AWaGHR Centre's breadth of research on women's health and deep methodological expertise. I'm looking forward to drawing insights from our research across a broad range of contexts to address critical research gaps for women's health globally.
For more information on Professor Julie Hennegan's research or the AWaGHR Centre’s research projects, visit the ‘research’ tab on the Centre's website.
