The Victorian branch of the national Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine has been officially launched at Deakin University.
Co-Directors Deakin Distinguished Professor Rachel Huxley, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health, and Associate Professor Severine Lamon, Deputy Associate Dean Research and ARC Future Fellow in Deakin's Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) will work to progress the aims of the Centre, led nationally by Director Professor Bronwyn Graham based at The George Institute for Global Health and UNSW Sydney.
Established earlier this year, the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine aims to address biases in healthcare that cause significant disadvantage for people based on sex and gender differences. These biases principally impact women and girls, people with variations of sex characteristics (intersex people), trans and gender diverse people, but also men and boys.
Associate Professor Lamon said a vital first step for the Victorian-based team was to establish baseline data by mapping existing sex and gender policies and practices in all Victorian institutions providing tertiary education, universities, medical research institutes, and hospitals conducting research.
'Victoria consistently wins more than 40% of Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council funding and about the same from the Medical Research Future Fund,' Associate Professor Lamon said.
'It boasts eight of the country's public universities, 18 independent research institutes, plus a number of large research hospitals - altogether employing more than 10,000 scientists, clinicians and technical staff.
'As a powerhouse of Australian health and medical research, Victoria is the obvious place to begin benchmarking data that will allow us to base future recommendations for change.
'Our research will also help advance the inclusion of sex and gender in research and education that is needed for Victoria to remain internationally relevant in world class research.
'We will partner in this work with the Victorian Department of Health as well as other peak bodies such as the Association of the Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI),' Associate Professor Lamon said.
The Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine is an initiative of The George Institute for Global Health, the Australian Human Rights Institute at UNSW Sydney and Deakin University, with support from collaborative partners the Victorian Department of Health and AAMRI.
Evidence and resources generated will directly inform government initiatives aimed at improving the health of women and the LGBTQIA+ community, including the activities of the National Women's Health Advisory Council, the National Women's Health Strategy, and the LGBTQIA+ 10-year National Action Plan (announced in 2023).
