Miscarriage Australia strives to provide current and evidence-based information to everyone. In developing the website, we engaged an expert advisory committee to review the information on our website, ensuring that the information and resources provided are grounded in evidence and reflect current best practices.
Our Medical Expert Advisory Committee
Our medical advisory committee members included specialist obstetricians and gynaecologists, midwives and general practitioners. All have a specific interest in women’s health.
Join our Expert Advisory Committee
If you are an Australian based medical or allied health professional working in the reproductive health or perinatal support area and would like to contribute to our work, please contact us to express your interest in joining our Expert Advisory Committee. Expert Advisory Committee members undertake this role on a voluntary (unpaid) basis, assisting us in reviewing medical and emotional care information. This helps to ensure the information and resources we provide on the website are medically accurate, evidence-based, and reflect best practice.
We are very grateful for the time our Expert Advisory Committee members volunteered to inform and review content on this website.
-
Professor Beverley Vollenhoven
Beverley is a Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility specialist. She is Head of Gynaecology at Monash Health, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Carl Wood Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University, and a clinician at Monash IVF.
-
Dr Alison Green
Alison has been a general practitioner (GP) associate with Central Medical Group Wodonga since 1991. She is a GP Obstetrician and has provided Maternity services to Albury Wodonga Health for more than 25 years.
-
Dr Shavi Fernando
Shavi is a Specialist Obstetrician and Gynaecologist specialising in general and high risk obstetrics, gynaecology, colposcopy and minimal invasive surgery. Shavi supervises and operates on ‘high risk’ Caesarean sections at Monash Medical Centre, including the most complicated Caesarean deliveries that are performed at the hospital.
-
Ms Tatiana Zecher
Tatiana is a registered Nurse and Midwife with a passion for holistic patient focused care and delivering empowering childbirth experiences of all types. She has worked for public and private health systems in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.
-
Dr Amita Tuteja
Amita is a Senior Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and has recently completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne. She has a passion to improve reproductive health services particularly for women from refugee backgrounds.
-
Dr Chris Longman
Chris is a general practitioner who has been working in the Melbourne suburb of Yarraville for 39 years. She has always had an interest in obstetrics and women’s health.
Our Mental Health Expert Advisory Committee
Our mental health experts are psychologists or counsellors who have a specialised interest in perinatal and reproductive health.
-
Dr Clare Bellhouse
Clare is a clinical psychologist with special interests in perinatal and infant mental health, parenting difficulties and complex trauma. She also works with clients experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, adjustment difficulties, relationship issues and reproductive loss. Clare’s PhD at the University of Melbourne evaluated a group psychotherapy program for pregnant women experiencing difficulties in the transition to parenthood. -
Dr Emma Symes
Emma is a clinical psychologist with experience in perinatal and infant mental health. Emma has worked in both the public and private mental health sectors over the past 20 years. She was senior clinical psychologist at the Centre for Women’s Mental Health, the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne. Emma currently operates a private practice in Melbourne, supporting families during the perinatal period.
-
Ms Alice Weeks
Alice is an HGSA Certified Genetic Counsellor and currently the Genetic Counselling Manager at No.1 Fertility. She has over 12 years’ experience as a Genetic Counsellor following her Master of Genetic Counselling at The University of Melbourne and brings both clinical and research experience to her current practice.
-
Mrs Melissa Seedy
Melissa is a senior psychologist and fertility counsellor working in private practice. Her special interests include fertility and infertility (IVF, donor conception, surrogacy) and parenting.
Our Specialist Advisors
For particular sections of our website, we invited specialists within their field to review information on recurrent miscarriage, LGBTIQA+, and workplace bereavement leave.
-
Professor Shaun Brennecke
Shaun is the Head of the Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne as well as Director of the Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Head of the Pregnancy Research Centre at the Hospital. He also holds the position of Dunbar Hooper Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at The University of Melbourne.
-
Associate Professor Ruth McNair
Ruth is an honorary Associate Professor in the Department of General Practice at The University of Melbourne, a general practitioner in an inner urban clinic in Melbourne and Chairperson of Pride Foundation Australia. Her clinical and research interests include lesbian and bisexual women’s mental health, sexual health, same-sex parenting, health care access and health care provider cultural competence training.
-
Dr Melanie Keep
Melanie is a Senior Research Fellow and Director of Academic Education at The University of Sydney. Her research focuses on eHealth and the use of technology to improve healthcare, in particular, the role of communication between patients and health practitioners for better outcomes and how this changes in the eHealth context.
Editorial Policy
Miscarriage Australia strives to provide evidence-based and medically accurate information for all impacted by miscarriage and for the health professionals that provide care for those affected by miscarriage.
The information on our website has been developed and reviewed in its entirety by members of the Miscarriage Australia research team, and by members of our Expert Advisory Committee where required. The authors and/or the reviewers of the content of the website have significant expertise and relevant qualifications in the areas of women’s health and/or mental health care. The principal authors and reviewers are Dr Jade Bilardi – an ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow at Monash University who specialises in women’s sexual and reproductive health – and Miss Amy Webb – a reproductive biologist and women’s health researcher with a background in fertility and assisted reproductive technology.
The dates at which the information was last updated are shown on the bottom of their content page, as are references wherever relevant.
