• Our people

Students

We collaborate with a community of PhD and Honours students with a shared interest in areas where there are significant evidence gaps in women’s sexual and reproductive health.

Pip Buckingham

Pip Buckingham

Pip graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Master of Public Health in 2018, specialising in sexual and reproductive health and epidemiology. She gained experience as a research assistant at the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, working for the Victorian State Trauma and Victorian Lung Cancer Registries, and subsequently joined SPHERE in 2019 as a PhD candidate. 

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Edwina Dorney

Dr Edwina Dorney

Edwina is a PhD Candidate at The University of Sydney and an Advanced Trainee in Public Health Medicine working clinically in Sexual Health at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Edwina has worked clinically in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology for over 10 years, both in the United Kingdom and Australia and completed the membership exams of the Royal Australia and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2014. 

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Jessica Moulton

Jessica Moulton

Jessica a PhD candidate at SPHERE CRE and the Department of General Practice at Monash University. She has over 5 years’ experience in women's sexual and reproductive health research and service provision. Jess completed a Master of Public Health from the University of Melbourne in 2019 specialising in gender and global health, and also holds a BSc (Food and Nutrition) from Deakin University. 

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Nishadi Withanage

Nishadi Withanage

Nishadi joined SPHERE as a PhD student. She completed her undergraduate studies and Honours in Biomedical Science at Monash University in 2019. As a summer scholar, she assisted with a project involving medical termination of pregnancy in culturally and linguistically diverse populations. 

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Anna Noonan

Anna Noonan

Anna joined SPHERE in 2020 as a rural PhD candidate exploring reproductive rights and service access in rural Australia, with a specific focus on abortion. Anna has a multidisciplinary tertiary background, with a Bachelor of Media and Communications (Journalism), Bachelor of International Studies (Latin America) from UTS and a Master of Public Health from the University of Sydney. 

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Natasha Davidson

Natasha Davidson

Natasha joined SPHERE, the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Sexual and Reproductive Health for Women in Primary Care, in April 2020. She is currently a PhD candidate at Global and Women's Health, Monash University. 

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Desireé Lagrappe

Desireé Lagrappe

Desireé is a NHMRC Postgraduate Scholar and PhD candidate at the Judith Lumley Centre (for mother, infant and family health research) at La Trobe University. Her PhD research focuses on refining measurement for reproductive coercion and abuse and the role of nursing care models to screen and respond. 

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Susan Saldanha

Susan Saldanha

Susan joined SPHERE in 2022 as a PhD student within the Department of General Practice, Monash University. Her research aims to understand reproductive coercion and abuse among individuals accessing sexual and reproductive health services in Australian primary care settings. 

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Zaynah Ali

Zaynah is a community pharmacist by training. Her PhD project focuses on the evaluation of community pharmacy as an intervention to improve access to safe and effective use of contraceptive medicines amongst women deemed high risk of unintended pregnancy. 

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Jenna Perkins

Jenna has recently completed her Bachelor of Biomedical Science with a Minor in Mathematics at Monash University in 2022. She has joined SPHERE to undertake her Honours research project under the supervision of Dr Jessica Botfield and Professor Danielle Mazza. 

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Selma Karovic

Selma Karovic is a dedicated and devoted young researcher who is currently pursuing an honours degree at SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence, where she is based at the Department of General Practice, Monash University. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree, with a major in physiology and a minor in pharmacology, at the same institution. 

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Jarrod Cross

Jarrod completed a Bachelor of Health and Medical Science with a Major in Reproductive and Childhood Health at the University of Adelaide in 2022. He as now joined the SPHERE team while he completes a Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) at Monash University. 

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Herrah Naveed

Herrah's passion for research and interest in reproductive health led her to focus on the experiences of adolescents in accessing emergency contraception. She is currently pursuing an honours degree at SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence, where she is based at the Department of General Practice, School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University. 

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Bronwyn McDonald

Bronwyn is an Honours student with SPHERE for 2023. After completing her Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Monash University in 2022, Bronwyn is completing her Honours year to immerse herself into clinical and public health research.

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Dr Kelly McNamara

Kelly is a clinician researcher with an interest in reproductive health and epidemiology. Her research is focused on in improving access to contraception and, in turn, improving reproductive health outcomes for vulnerable women, particularly women who use alcohol and other drugs. 

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Anna Fragkoudi

Anna has a midwifery background and is a holder of a Master of Applied Sciences. After five years of working in the research sector, she is currently a PhD candidate at the Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide and is a recipient of an Adelaide Scholarship International. 

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