Lauren Anthes – CEO Read more »
Lauren is an experienced and passionate healthcare executive, having worked in the research and service development space for 15 years. Lauren’s aim is to be able to improve the health system, health outcomes and experiences for women. She has a particular interest in mental health, domestic violence and reproductive health issues including endometriosis and PCOS.
Lauren completed a Bachelor of Psychology through Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, NSW and started her career working at the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health in Orange, NSW. She had the opportunity to work on and lead a number of clinical research projects around early psychosis, severe mental illness, suicide risk and a longitudinal mental health and wellbeing study focusing on Australians living in regional and rural areas. She completed a Masters in Evaluation through the University of Melbourne, with a focus on real world formative and impact evaluation, which has contributed to her expertise in value based healthcare and health system planning.
With her health system knowledge and experience gained from working across not-for-profit, private, government and education sectors, Lauren hopes to be able to develop strong cross sector partnerships to better address women’s health issues in the ACT.
Lauren is excited to explore how the organisation can work differently and in innovative ways to raise the profile of women’s health in the ACT.
Jodie Kirkness– Communications Manager Read more »
Jodie is an experienced communications and digital media professional with a background in journalism. Her passion for story telling resulted in her completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism with a major in Literary Studies.
She has a keen interest in women’s health and youth advocacy and has advocated for cancer prevention and research. Prior to joining Women’s Health Matters, Jodie has worked in government and across the health, and agriculture not-for-profit space.
She also has ample experience in the journalism industry having experience at 2CC Radio, ABC Canberra, and UC Curieux and plans on using her media contacts to promote Women’s Health Matters work.
Dr Merri Andrew – Senior Health Promotion Officer Read more »
Merrindahl has worked in social policy and advocacy for over fifteen years, across both the ACT and national levels, with a focus on gender equality and gender-based violence. Most recently, Merrindahl spent five years managing a national alliance of organisations working to end gender-based violence, before working locally to deliver violence prevention training to educators, businesses, and community members.
Through her PhD in political science at the Australian National University (ANU), Merrindahl studied feminists’ attempts to shape social policies affecting work and care.
She subsequently researched the development of women’s services and women’s policy agencies, including those focused on health. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters on gender equality, gender-based violence and human rights, including articles in Australian and international journals.
Merrindahl is happy to be part of a community-based organisation working for women’s health in the ACT, where she can contribute to violence prevention, sexual and reproductive health, better access to health information, and all the changes needed so that women can have full enjoyment of their lives.
Julia Tran – Senior Health Promotion Officer Read more »
Julia joined the Women’s Centre for Health Matters as a Health Promotion Officer in 2017. With a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and Neuroscience and a Master of International Public Health, Julia’s previous experience has had a mental health focus through researching dementia and music at the MARCS Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Development, interning in the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Unit at the Western Pacific Regional Office World Health Organization in the Philippines, interning in the psychological counselling and therapy at the Children’s Hospital #2 in Ho Chi Minh City, and research in road traffic accidents and trauma in Vietnam with the University of NSW.
Julia’s area of expertise lies in mental health and wellbeing and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Her focus areas at Women’s Health Matters have been in SRH research and policy (aimed at young women and all women of the ACT) and mental health, with an interest in Borderline Personality Disorder, reduction in self harm, suicide prevention and youth mental health. As a keen bike rider, she is also interested in contributing to ACT’s active travel and women’s safety in public.
She implements her health promotion skills through social research, organising training workshops, and using technology to develop websites and film. Julia is Women’s Health Matters’ representative on the Reference Group for the ACT’s Public Health services for Eating Disorders Project, combining her interest and expertise in mental health and women’s wellbeing, ensuring that a women’s perspective is represented on the Reference Group.
Ursula De Ruyter – Violence Prevention Coordinator Read more »
Ursula has a wealth of experience using her sexual and gender-based violence, mental health and homelessness practice wisdom to shape strategic direction and develop evidence-based policy at local, national and international levels.
Ursula believes that people who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence hold invaluable knowledge of the systems, services, and structures needed for effective policy and program design and reform. She is committed to ensuring that the voices of those who have experienced violence are not just heard, but actively incorporated into the development of community responses.
Her work is informed by her education, including a Diploma of Community Services from RMIT and a Bachelor of Human Services (Multicultural Welfare) from Charles Sturt University.
Ursula feels extremely grateful for the vicarious resilience she has gained from over a decade working with people with lived experience of social and gender inequality. She is excited for the opportunity to continue to raise these voices through her work at Women’s Health Matters.
Molly Stanley – Executive Officer Read more »
Molly has over seven years of experience in professional administration, the past three of which have been spent in the community and not-for-profit sectors. Previously Molly worked with the Australasian College of Road Safety national office to support better road safety outcomes. Molly shares her time between Women’s Health Matters and the ACT Down Syndrome Association. She provides skill development and peer support opportunities for people with an intellectual disability at the ACT Down Syndrome Association.
Molly completed herBachelor of Archaeology at Flinders University in Adelaide and is currently studying a Master of Archaeological and Evolutionary Science at the Australian National University, where she has been honing her research and writing experience.
More recently, her own personal experiences in the healthcare system have prompted her to explore women’s health, with a particular interest in women’s experiences in the healthcare system. She hopes that by working with Women’s Health Matters she can play a contributing role in improving health outcomes for women in the ACT while increasing her knowledge of the field.
Molly enjoys using her knowledge and experience to develop efficient administrative processes that support small organisations to provide better outcomes for the community. She hopes that her blend of professional administrative and postgraduate research experience will support Women’s Health Matters to improve women’s health outcomes in the ACT.
Anushe Khan – Health in My Language Project Coordinator Read more »
Anushe leads the Health in My Language program at Women’s Health Matters as the HiML Project Coordinator.
Having personally experienced the challenges of navigating the healthcare system after moving to the ACT as someone with lifelong chronic conditions, Anushe understands the barriers faced by those who may be new to Canberra and seeking support.
Before joining WHM, Anushe worked with state and national peak bodies, advocating for better health outcomes and access for multicultural and multilingual communities. This experience has provided her with information on the challenges faced by women from diverse backgrounds when it comes to accessing healthcare.
She hopes to leverage the insights and outcomes gained from the project to strengthen WHM’s advocacy on improving health access and system responsiveness within the ACT.
In her spare time, Anushe enjoys cooking for friends and family, being a pretty average plant mum, and picking up a new craft hobby every month!
Kate Chen – Bilingual Health Educator Read more »
Meet Kate!
Kate is a passionate social worker and community educator with extensive experience in therapeutic counselling, domestic and family violence, healthcare, community development and education.
She is dedicated to providing empowerment and support to clients from a trauma-informed framework.
As well as working at Women’s Health Matters as Bilingual Health Educator, Kate is also a Social Worker with University of Canberra Hospital.
In her spare time, Kate enjoys reading, camping, watching TV dramas, and going to music concerts. She also likes playing Nintendo Sports and keeping up with fashion trends videos to explore her styles. She is a dog person and is crazily obsessed with cute pet videos!
Bormey Ken – Bilingual Health Educator Read more »
Meet Bormey!
Bormey’s experiences as an international student and her work with non-profit organisations promoting women’s rights has given her a unique perspective on the challenges women from diverse backgrounds may face in accessing healthcare.
She understands how accessing health care as international students or non-citizens can be challenging, especially when there are language and cultural barriers and financial constraints.
As a Bilingual health Educator at Women’s health Matters, Bormey plans to deliver health education program in both Khmer and English Languages.
She hopes that she can help break down language and cultural barriers and ensure that more women in ACT have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about their health.
In her spare time, Bormey enjoys a variety of activities, including cooking, hiking, travelling, and functional training as they help her manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Fouzia Jabeen – Bilingual Health Educator Read more »
Meet Fouzia.
Fouzia is a Bilingual Health Education Officer at Women’s Health Matters.
Fouzia comes with a rich experience in the healthcare industry, having worked in India for more than 20 years in the medical transcription industry.
She began her career as a medical transcriptionist, and after coming to Australia she joined the COVID-19 Response Team in NSW Health and worked in the public health space before taking up her most recent role as a Bilingual Health Education Officer in Community Services.
Fouzia acted as the contract tracing ambassador for the COVID-19 multicultural communication by participating in interviews and voiceovers in Hindi and Urdu languages targeting culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
In her spare time Fouzia loves to spend time with her family and adores her two kids. She has a passion for gardening and interior design.
Nehad Shaaban – Bilingual Health Educator Read more »
Meet Nehad!
Ever since Nehad was a child, she has been driven by a love for knowledge and a deep curiosity about the human experience. Education and counselling are not just a profession for Nehad, they are part of her personality. She finds great fulfillment in sharing knowledge.
‘I firmly believe that the more I share and distribute the fruits of my knowledge to others, the stronger and more rooted that tree of knowledge becomes.’
Nehad has been involved in giving lectures to women in charitable associations, covering topics related to family relationships, general health, and mental well-being.
‘As an immigrant myself, I deeply empathise with the struggles faced by newcomers, and I understand first-hand the hurdles they must overcome to live a healthy life.’ ‘To contribute to my new community, I volunteered in my children’s public school to assist non-English speakers in our language, taking on various roles within the community as an advisor and educator for mums. These experiences further fuelled my determination to carve a new path here and overcome the obstacles that came my way’.
Having witnessed the hardships faced by refugee and immigrant families, particularly mothers, Nehad hopes to fill gaps and provide support as a mental and family counsellor. Her goal is to help these women with diverse backgrounds as they navigate the challenges they encounter, guiding and empowering them towards a more positive mindset and healthier lives.
Nehad is currently studying a Master of Counselling to expand her knowledge and better serve immigrant and refugee women. In her spare time Nehad enjoys meditation, chess, writing stories and poems, and taking long walks.
