Generating and translating evidence into practice in womens health and beyond

Significance: Weight gain and obesity is our greatest public health challenge, has major reproductive and metabolic sequalae and is the primary cause of chronic disease for women. Obesity exacerbates polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), affecting up to 18% of women. Obesity and PCOS interact to increase infertility, a major health and economic burden, to complicate pregnancy and increase gestational diabetes (GDM), prediabetes, diabetes and CVD. Prevention of obesity and optimal diagnosis and management of related complications in women underpin HT’s research, cover national priority areas and goals. HT also broadly drives evidence into practice for public benefit in her leadership of Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI) and Monash Partners Advanced Health Research Translation Centre (MP), ideally positioning her for this Fellowship Scheme.
Research: HT's research addresses prevention and treatment of obesity and related conditions in women (PCOS, fertility, pregnancy complications, GDM), including in Indigenous and refugee groups. Through the integrated research and clinical Centres, HT will undertake mechanistic, clinical, health services and public health research across diverse settings and populations. Through collaboration and national leadership, she will generate new research knowledge, synthesise evidence, translate and deliver impact to optimise health.
Expertise: HT is a clinician, researcher, educator, collaborator and leader who has built a strong team of ~100 staff and students with 75% being multidisciplinary clinicians (endocrinology, dietetics, obstetrics, paediatrics, exercise physiology, psychology, health promotion, paramedics, nursing, midwifery). Content expertise includes obesity, PCOS, fertility, pregnancy health, diabetes, obesity, CVD with skills in clinical, health services and implementation, epidemiology, public health research, evidence synthesis, leadership, collaboration, community engagement and translation.