Published: 24th August 2023
Women’s Health Week is the biggest week in Australia focusing on good health and wellbeing for all women and girls, inclusive of trans women. This year the focus is on hormones, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menopause, cervical screening self-collection, heart health, persistent pelvic pain, and nutrition.
Women’s Health Week is a time for all of us, regardless of gender, to reflect on how we can support the health and wellbeing of ourselves, our colleagues, loved ones and community.
Women's Health Week at Mandurah Campus
To celebrate Women's Health Week, an event is also being held in the alfresco area at our Mandurah campus on Wednesday, 30 August from 11am-2pm. All students and staff are welcome to attend. There will be information and resources from the Jean Hailes Foundation to support women’s health. While you are there, talk to Murdoch Medical Service staff about their programs and health checks, take part in a fitness class, enjoy some mindful crafts and gardening, and join your peers for a healthy lunch.
Dr Jean Hailes’ legacy for women’s health and resources
Women’s Health Week is an initiative of the Dr Jean Hailes Foundation. A collection of resources to take part in during Women’s Health Week will be released via their website on 4 September, which we encourage you to sign up for.
Founded in 1992, Jean Hailes for Women’s Health reflects the enduring legacy that Dr Dorothy Jean Hailes AM made to women’s health. A visionary in the field of women's health, Jean identified a gap addressing the health needs of menopausal women. In 1971, she established the first women’s health clinic in Australia. It was one of the inaugural menopause clinics in the world – dedicated to midlife and menopause.
Jean was determined that women understand their right to know the facts about their health. She encouraged them to speak out and seek answers, know their choices, develop relationships with their doctors and ask for a second opinion if necessary.
Dr Jean Hailes was a visionary and passionate GP who understood that you need both physical and emotional health to stay well and prevent ill health. Her legacy lives on in the foundation’s clinical care, innovative research and practical education programs.
Jean was an advocate at a time when advocacy in this field was unheard of. At the time Jean was practising medicine there was little interest in what doctors saw as ‘minor’ symptoms in middle aged women. Symptoms were swept under the carpet, endured in silence from one generation to the next. Jean worked tirelessly, inspiring and encouraging colleagues, to develop and undertake research in this area and was one of the first Australian GPs to talk openly on radio and to the press about midlife women’s health issues.
Read more about Dr Jean Hailes AM
Visit the Jean Hailes for Women's Health website for more information and sign up to watch Women’s Health Week webinars organised by the Jean Hailes Foundation.
