Lauren Moloney
Lauren Moloney
Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours)
The skills and knowledge I picked up during Honours keep my future career options open, so that I can always get involved in research. And I feel it also adds depth to the way I approach any future healthcare roles and study I undertake.
Lauren Moloney joined our Honours program upon completion of a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. After three years of laboratory science, she wanted to try something different.
"I’ve always been interested in women’s health, and I found Professor Danielle Mazza in the Honours booklet. She’s a researcher with a very strong interest in women’s health in the context of General Practice, and had numerous projects available investigating access to and perceptions of reproductive health services.
"I had no qualitative research experience under my belt, so it ticked the box in terms of a new challenge where I’d broaden my skills."
Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is one of Professor Mazza’s specialty areas, and Lauren engaged in a project exploring models of care around intra-uterine devices (IUDs) in general practice. IUDs are a safe, affordable and highly effective form of female contraception, but their popularity is hampered by a lack of education and accessibility.
IUD insertion training is not very common among GPs, but encouraging GPs to offer the service would relieve significant accessibility issues for women, especially in rural settings. Current training is often through hospitals, where patients are often sedated for the procedure, providing a very different experience from the general practice setting where patients are awake.
"The literature review I conducted revealed very limited understanding about what goes on in Australian general practice regarding decision-making around IUDs, and insertion. We subsequently interviewed 20 GPs across Australia, for around 30-60 minutes each.
"We found four major models of care that the GPs naturally used.
- Common model – this involves four appointments, the first two focusing on sexual and reproductive health background, checks and decision-making, followed by the insertion procedure and one follow-up.
- Streamlined model – patient is referred by a colleague or other health professional, and the GP undertakes insertion plus one follow-up.
- Same day model – patient attends for initial consult and insertion on same day, with a follow-up appointment.
- Adaptable models – any other pattern, including telehealth consultations, multiple pre-consultations involving anxious patients, and no follow-up.
"The consequences of unsuitable contraception can be devastating and life-altering, so it’s really important we understand the situation, identify barriers, and improve access and education.
"It’s been a privilege to undertake a project that has made a small but vital step in our understanding. These results can help GPs understand which of these models works well for their colleagues, and what some of the associated pitfalls are. That helps them manage cases better and feel more confident about this procedure.
"The skills and knowledge I picked up during Honours keep my future career options open, so that I can always get involved in research. And I feel it also adds depth to the way I approach any future healthcare roles and study I undertake."
After completion in 2022, Lauren jetted off to explore Europe, presenting her findings at a conference along the way. Her findings were accepted for journal publication, and sparked interest among GP peak bodies.
She found work with Ambulance Victoria after graduation, helping organise inter-hospital transfers for critically ill patients, but remained keen to undertake even more study.
In 2024 she enrolled in medicine at the Australian National University, where she remains committed to improving women’s access to healthcare and advancing overall health outcomes. In pursuit of this goal, she works as a phlebotomist at a fertility clinic, serves as the Women in Surgery Officer for the ANU Surgical Society, and has been accepted into both the Rural Health and Indigenous Health streams. She is also part of the Advanced Research Program, where her research focuses on the barriers Indigenous women face in gaining admission to medical school and challenges they encounter in their professional practice.
In 2026, Lauren plans to relocate to rural New South Wales to continue her medical training, furthering her commitment to strengthening rural health and reducing barriers to healthcare access. She's also particularly looking forward to a placement in the Northern Territory, working in a remote community or regional Aboriginal medical service.
Outside of medicine, Lauren recently completed a marathon and has ultramarathons in her sights. She is also the co-dance director of Med Revue 2025, the ANU medical school musical, which raises funds to support people from refugee backgrounds and those seeking asylum.