News

Accolade for Dr Heather Morris, promoted to Level C

Congratulations to Dr Heather Morris, officially promoted to Level C – a milestone that recognises not only her academic excellence but her generosity, leadership and unique ability to connect the dots, bringing ideas together cohesively to form new ways of approaching research. Read more here.

From violence to endometriosis: The biggest health issues facing women

Australia’s most comprehensive study into the health and social issues affecting women and girls has been published, and its findings are confronting, write Professor Helen Skouteris and Dr Sara Holton in Monash Lens.

Incubator nod to further equity in research

Professor Helen Skouteris has been named in the 2026 Monash University Incubator cohort. The Incubator is a Monash University program run by the Research and Enterprise portfolio to foster interdisciplinary collaborations between Monash researchers and international partners. Professor Skouteris, with Dr Sharuna Verghis from Monash University Malaysia, will use the Incubator funding to undertake a one-year project to position the EQUIP Network (EQUitable Implementation research and Practice) as a global initiative that not only upholds core values of equity but also demonstrates them through meaningful and inclusive action. All members of the network will be involved in the project. Find out more about the EQUIP Network here.

Weight stigma making waves

Dr Briony Hill and PhD candidate Haimanot Hailu (pictured) have continued to be sought after for their commentary on weight stigma and its impact on women in the maternity setting. Coverage in 2025 included a piece for The Conversation where they highlighted their work developing co-designed resources with women and midwives to dispel common preconceptions about larger bodied women and their pregnancies.

Sharing lived experience of weight stigma

Ahlia Griffiths generously shared her lived experiences of weight stigma during her pregnancies, in a powerful piece for Monash Lens: “I remember being in active labour, trying to understand the midwife’s perspective and expertise, whilst also being in immense pain and wishing she would listen to me, my previous birthing experience, and understanding of my own body." Read more in Monash Lens.

Award honour for Dr Claire Blewitt

Congratulations to Dr Claire Blewitt, recipient of a prestigious and highly competitive 2024 Paul Bourke Award from the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Read more here.

More than a story? The roles and influence of people with lived experience within integrated care

HSCU was pleased to host Professor Robin Miller from the University of Birmingham recently, as he challenged a room of attentive researchers, clinicians and professionals to consider how we can best support “citizen leaders” when undertaking our work. Read more here.

HSCU Highlights Report 2023

HSCU proudly presents our annual Highlights Report. In 2023 our team led, contributed to and supported initiatives that focussed on creating real-world change and impact. Read the report here (PDF).

Health and social care leader awarded inaugural Maureen Brunt Professorial Fellowship

Professor Helen Skouteris has been awarded an inaugural Maureen Brunt Professorial Fellowship by Monash University, an initiative that intends to support excellence and ambition among Monash’s highly promising women professors. Read more in Monash News.

New program empowers those with dementia to live their fullest lives

People living with dementia are being encouraged to do more daily tasks rather than have things done for them as part of a collaborative project that aims to enable them to live fuller lives. The Monash University-led Living Well Together (LWT) care model was designed to meet the needs of Baptcare Residential Aged Care residents, including those living with cognitive impairment or dementia. Read more in Monash news.

Take a deep dive into evidence-backed, successful program design

Boost your program design and problem solving skills this September with a one-of-a-kind course offering from the Health and Social Care Unit. Find out more here.

REGISTER NOW: your practical toolkit to engage and involve stakeholders in your work

Discover ways to engage consumers, professionals, communities and organisations to maximise health and wellbeing outcomes in the Health and Social Care Unit’s upcoming short course. Read more here.

Accolade for HSCU Deputy Head Dr Briony Hill

Congratulations to Dr Briony Hill, Health and Social Care Unit Deputy Head, who was recently promoted to Level C. Read about Briony's career highlights here.

Congratulations, Associate Professor Darshini Ayton

Congratulations to the newly titled Associate Professor, Darshini Ayton! One of HSCU's Deputy Heads, A/Prof Ayton leads our ageing and health services research work and is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Emerging Leader Fellow. Read our Q&A with A/Prof Ayton here.

Dr Darshini Ayton on The Drum

Dr Darshini Ayton appeared on ABC's The Drum on 6 June, giving commentary on ways to prevent memory loss, a breakthrough in endometriosis research, and yet another interest rate rise. Watch the episode here.

Join a HSCU Short Course in 2023

Looking to enhance your practice in health and social care with some further training in 2023? Already enrolled in, or contemplating a Masters of Public Health and keen to get some credit points? Look no further – our short courses provide an array of possibilities for those looking to upskill or boost their current knowledge. Read more here.

Dr Darshini Ayton on The Drum

Dr Darshini Ayton appeared on ABC's The Drum on 20 March, joining the conversation on how inflation, economic uncertainty and the spectre of war are impacting Australians. Watch the episode here.

Our strategy

We spent a lot of time in 2022 considering what it means to be part of HSCU, and what matters to us. We determined themes for our work and identified principles that anchor it – and us. And we set a vision for the next few years (2023 – 2025). We hope you enjoy! Read our report here (PDF).