The Miscarriage Australia research program, founded in 2016, is led by Associate Professor Jade Bilardi (Adjunct A/Prof at Monash University and The University of Melbourne) and Professor Meredith Temple-Smith (Deputy Head of the Department of General Practice at The University of Melbourne). Together with a multidisciplinary team of academics, healthcare providers, and industry partners, they work to enhance support for those impacted by miscarriage.
Our Research Team
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Associate Professor Jade Bilardi
Co-lead
Jade is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University and The University of Melbourne. She specialises in women’s sexual and reproductive health. Her interests centre on the psychosocial health and wellbeing of women, partners and family affected by miscarriage.
“My own experiences of miscarriage showed me very clearly the difference between positive support experiences and poor support experiences. The difference was huge.”
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Professor Meredith Temple-Smith
Co-lead
Meredith is the Deputy Head of the Department of General Practice at The University of Melbourne. She is a mixed methods researcher, whose interests centre on sexual and reproductive health, and health services research.
“Support is still lacking for many women 40 years after my own experiences of miscarriage.”
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Associate Professor Jennifer McIntosh
Jenny is an academic specialist in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at The University of Melbourne. She has broad public health research experience in sexual health and in improving digital health accessibility.“My PhD was in women’s sexual health and I have had a long commitment to improving women’s health ever since.”
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Associate Professor Gemma Sharp
Gemma is an Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist at Monash University. She is passionate about improving all areas of women’s mental health.“I joined this project as I wanted to help create evidence-based support for people impacted by miscarriage and people like me, the health professionals assisting them.”
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Dr Van-Hau Trieu
Van-Hau is a Senior Lecturer at Deakin Business School. Her research includes how information systems can be used responsibly for the social good, such as for improving equality, social inclusion, or the well-being of individuals and communities.
“I am passionate about using technology to improve people’s lives. I joined this important project to help improve support for women and families affected by miscarriage.”
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Miss Amy Webb
Amy is a reproductive biologist and women’s health researcher at Monash University and The University of Melbourne. She has a research background in fertility and assisted reproductive technology.
“It’s been more than a decade since my mum’s most recent miscarriage, and I still feel how much loss has impacted our family. This is why I wanted to use my web-based skills to help make a difference.”
Our Students & Research Associates
We want to thank our students and research associates, current and past, who have contributed to our miscarriage research. Through their research, we have learnt what support people want and need at the time of miscarriage.
Dr Clare Bellhouse
Clare undertook a study with us in 2018 as part of her Master of Psychology (Clinical) exploring women’s experiences of miscarriage. She published two papers from this study around women’s social support experiences [link to free version] and healthcare support experiences [link to paid version]. Clare has recently submitted her PhD and works as a private clinical psychologist specialising in the area of perinatal and infant mental health, parenting difficulties and complex trauma.
Dr Alice Yu
Alice was a final year Doctor of Medicine student when she undertook a study with us in 2020 exploring the supported needed by people impacted by miscarriage. Her published paper from this study is available online [link to paid version].
“I wanted to help shed some light on something not often talked about. No one should suffer alone.”
Dr Ellena Miller
Ellena was a final year Doctor of Medicine student when she undertook a study with us in 2018 exploring men’s experiences of miscarriage. Her published paper from this study is available online [link to free version].
Lily Claringbold
Lily undertook her Masters of Philosophy with us in 2018-2019 exploring the provision of psychosocial support to women in early pregnancy assessment services. Her published paper from this study is available online [link to paid version]. Lily is currently undertaking a Doctor of Medicine.
Dr Patrick Pang
Patrick is a Lecturer at Macao Polytechnic University. His current research aims to close the gap in digital health and reduce the inequality in accessing digital services with AI. He worked with Miscarriage Australia in 2018-2019 when he studied women’s needs for health information websites using human-centred techniques [link to free paper].
Dr Kirsten Jensen
Our other students have included:
Dr Vellyna Surmano (Doctor of Medicine) who undertook a study in 2018 exploring GPs practices caring for those affected by miscarriage [link to paid version].
Van Nguyen (Master of Social Work) who undertook a narrative literature review in 2018 on the lived experiences of men whose partner has experienced a still-birth or miscarriage [link to paid version].
Sophie Russ-Hall (Honours) who undertook a study in 2018 exploring the pathways into and common characteristics between early pregnancy assessment services in Australia.
