About Us
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The Psychosocial Health and Wellbeing Research (emPoWeR) Unit is part of the Gynaecology Research Centre, situated at the Royal Women’s Hospital and the University of Melbourne. The emPoWeR Unit aims to conduct ethically sound research that will make a difference, with a focus on the psychological, emotional and social aspects of reproductive health. The unit has a particular focus on the overall wellbeing of people impacted by gynaecological issues and infertility, and the quality of life factors that arise as a consequence of these conditions. The goal of the unit is to develop tools that can help improve the experience of people facing these sorts of challenges. |
Research Areas
Visit our Research Studies page to find out more. 
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FundingWe are proudly supported by the following granting bodies:
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PhD & Honours StudentsWe currently have a number of research studies that may interest potential Honours and PhD students. Please refer to our Research Studies page to see all projects.
If you are interested in joining the team as a student, please contact A/Prof Michelle Peate to discuss your options. 
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Meet Our Team
Dr Michelle Peate | Program Leader & Senior Research Fellow
BSc(Bioinfo), GDipSc, MScMed(RH&HG), PhD Overview As Program Leader, A/Prof Peate oversees a number of research projects in cancer, psychology & reproductive health. Her main goals are developing resources for people in need and ensuring that they are effective. Her research portfolio includes the development and implementation of many patient resources, including a fertility-related decision aid for young women with early breast cancer and a booklet on breast cancer and early menopause. A/Prof Peate is a 2011 NSW Young Tall Poppy and a current NBCF Early Career Fellow whose work is both nationally and internationally recognised. Current projects include the development of several decision aids and tools relating to cancer and fertility. To obtain a full description of all studies A/Prof Peate is conducting refer to Research Studies. For A/Prof Peate's list of papers click here. Have a look at our resources page for the resources she has been involved in developing. |
Nipuni Susanto (Gamage) | Senior Research Support Officer
BAppSc (Psych) (Honours) Overview Nipuni Susanto (Gamage) is a Senior Research Support Officer at the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health (University of Melbourne/ Royal Women’s Hospital) and Melbourne School of Health Sciences (University of Melbourne). She completed her Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) in 2014 at RMIT University and throughout the course of her studies developed a passion for research. With nearly a decade of research support experience she has worked across many research areas in women's health including menopause symptoms management, fertility related decision-making and urinary incontinence in cancer survivors. Currently at the emPoWeR Unit, Nipuni is managing Stage 1 of the multi-phase MySurvivorCare study which aims to build a stepped-care pathway in order to improve wellbeing for women with cancer. |
Desi Achilleos I Administration Officer
BA (Economics, Mathematics) Overview Desi Achilleos is the Administration Officer for the Empower Unit within the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health (University of Melbourne/ Royal Women’s Hospital. She completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major in Economics and a Minor in Mathematics. Desi has completed several postgraduate courses in communications and visual art. Desi has over 25 years experience in working in women's health including working on the management committee for the Women's Community Aid Association and worked for their organisations, Women's House Shelta and the Brisbane Rape and Incest Survivor's Support Centre, for over 20 years. She also managed the Queensland wide Eating Disorder Association for 5 years. She began working in the tertiary sector at the University of Melbourne in 2023. |
Working With
Prof Martha Hickey| Deputy Head of Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
BA (Hons), MSc (Clin Psych), MBChB, FRANZCOG, MD Overview Martha Hickey is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne, Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University, CT and Director of the Women's Gynaecology Research Centre (Royal Women's Hospital). She is in active clinical practice with a research expertise in menstrual disorders and menopause. Professor Hickey continues in active clinical service as a consultant gynaecologist at The Royal Women’s Hospital and her research in reproductive endocrinology continues to grow in the following areas: Abnormal uterine bleeding, Menopause, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Teenage Pregnancy. |
Dr Jane Girling| Senior Research Fellow
Overview Dr Girling is a Lecturer in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Her research interests are in uterine biology and women’s health, with a particular focus on common gynaecological problems including endometriosis, abnormal uterine bleeding and uterine fibroids. Dr Girling also has an interest in the impact of menstrual pain and heavy bleeding on girls and their families, and how we can better assist girls and young women to live a full and happy life. |
Dr Jennifer Marino| Research Fellow
BA, BSN, MPH, PhD Overview Dr Marino is an epidemiologist trained at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington. She came to Australia in 2008 to join the Robinson Institute to build her expertise in longitudinal studies and life course epidemiology, and in 2011, she joined the Gynaecology Research Centre at the University of Melbourne and Royal Women’s Hospital. Dr Marino specialises in women’s reproductive and sexual health throughout the lifespan. Her current projects include studies of health-compromising behaviour in the Western Australia Pregnancy Cohort (Raine Study), of sexuality among postmenopausal female breast cancer patients, and of childbearing decisions among participants in Adelaide’s Life Journeys of Young Women Project. |
Dr Mariana Sousa | Early Career Researcher
MD, PhD Overview Dr Sousa has led and collaborated on many projects and has made significant advances in the field of genitourinary and sexual health after breast cancer, emerging as a leading expert in this field. She has published in peer reviewed journals, received many grants and awards and presented at national and international conferences. Her expertise lays in breast cancer, oncofertility, reproductive health, cancer genetics, menopause and services evaluation. Dr Sousa’s goals are to continue delivering novel breast cancer research with impact through large multi-centre trials and to promote translation of research into practice. Her post-doctoral research projects are dedicated to addressing the needs of women with breast cancer and in developing services and testing interventions to support medical, nursing and allied health teams in providing the best possible health care to breast cancer survivors. |
Emma Steele | Research Assistant
BAppSc (medical Radiations), GradDip(MRI), MPH Overview Emma Steele graduated with a Master of Public Health (University of Melbourne) in 2017, majoring in sexual and reproductive epidemiology. She has a clinical background as a radiographer, and currently works as the MRI supervisor at The Royal Women’s Hospital. Her research interests include women’s sexual and reproductive health and the development of evidence-based tools to measure health status and guide clinical care. She is working with the empower Unit to continue a project she started in the final year of her MPH – the development of a survey to measure the physical, psychological and social needs of women with endometriosis. |
Sarah Lensen Steele |NHMRC Senior Research Fellow
Overview Dr Sarah Lensen is a Senior NHMRC Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Broadly, her research aims to improve and facilitate evidence-based healthcare of people undergoing fertility treatment. Her current research focusses on the evidence-base behind IVF ‘add-ons’ and finding ways to translate this information for IVF patients and professionals. |
Current Students
Lucy Caughey | PhD Scholar
Lucy Caughey is a PhD candidate in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne. She completed a BBehavSc(Psych) with Distinction in 2018 and a BBehavSc(Psych)(Hons) with First Class Honours in 2019, at QUT. Lucy has an interest in increasing knowledge and viable options for women faced with infertility to reduce psychological distress through the use of psychosocial interventions such as decision tools. Lucy’s PhD will examine the psychosocial determinants that affect elective egg freezers intentions to dispose of surplus frozen eggs. Lucy has published two articles published in Fertility and Sterility and ten other articles. Lucy has been involved in (i) the VALUE study, IVF add-ons use in the UK and Australia; (ii) a study examining willingness to donate frozen oocytes among women of reproductive age; (iii) Core Outcomes in Menopause consortium; (iv) EEF Co-production grant; and (v) EEF counselling in Singapore. She is currently working on a study examining the Information needs of women considering or partaking in elective egg freezing called the ICE study, in order to create an independent website for elective egg freezers. Lucy is available to comment on elective egg freezers disposition decisions and the information needs of elective egg freezers. E: [email protected] |
Shiva Pourali Roudbaneh | PhD Scholar
Shiva is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne and an overseas-trained midwife. She completed a master of midwifery at the Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran and was a faculty member at the medical university of Giulan, Rasht, Iran. She is also a part of the Cancer Epidemiology and Intelligence Division at the Cancer Council Victoria. Her research focuses in understanding the unmet needs of young women who suffer from heavy menstruation and pelvic pain in order to improve their quality of life. She believes the deep attention to the psyche and mental health of those who receive a medical diagnosis and how much that condition can affect the patients is something that is typically lacked in the clinic. In her research, she concentrates on the effects of chronic illness on young women’s daily lives and gathers information on the impact it has on their quality of life. |
Dorcas Serwaa | PhD Scholar
Dorcas, a Health Researcher and African Union Scholar, completed a BSc (Hons) Human Biology with First Class Honours in 2016 from University of Cape Coast, Ghana and a joint MSc degree in Reproductive Biology from University of Ibadan and Pan African University, Life and Earth sciences institute (including health and Agriculture), Nigeria with distinction. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on improving the management of menopause symptoms in cancer survivorship. In this project, an online patient-driven stepped care website will be developed where cancer survivors experiencing menopausal symptoms can assess their symptoms and receive recommended care based on how severe their symptoms are. We hope the development of this website will help improve the way cancer survivors cope and manage their symptoms and in the long run improve health, well-being, and quality of life of this populace. |
Jacqueline Hunter | PhD Scholar
Jacqueline Hunter is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne's Psychosocial Health and Wellbeing Research (emPoWeR) Unit and a research officer at the University of New South Wales' Behavioural Sciences Unit (BSU). Her focus lies in psychosocial research related to genetic cancer predisposition and the use of whole genome sequencing technologies in childhood cancer. With a Bachelor's in Biomedicine and a Master's in Genomics and Health from the University of Melbourne, Jacqueline is dedicated to advancing cancer care, considering ethical implications and patient experiences. |
Mahnaz Sharifi | PhD Scholar
Mahnaz is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Newborn Health, and joined the emPoWeR unit as of June 2023. She is also part of the Pediatric and Adolescent Fertility Preservation Taskforce where she is pursuing her thesis on a fertility preservation decision aid under the supervision of A/P Yasmin Jayasinghe, A/P Michelle Peate and Dr. Micheal Asis. Her research interest in oncofertility, women’s sexual and reproductive health and breast cancer stems from her academic background and work experience as a midwife in hospitals and a breast cancer clinic. She has also worked at UNFPA where she advocated for vulnerable populations to have access to quality sexual and reproductive health." |
Past Students
At emPoWeR Unit we have had the wonderful opportunity to conduct research alongside many students completing their postgraduate studies over the last few years. Click on the years below to find out more about the students who have completed their studies under the supervision of A/Prof Michelle Peate.
