With pride we congratulate two Monash Health employees honoured at the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) national conference in Queensland.
Prof Helena Teede – AMA Women in Medical Leadership Award
Monash Health endocrinologist Professor Helena Teede AM was presented with the AMA Women in Medical Leadership Award.
Prof Teede and Royal Melbourne Hospital emergency physician Dr Sarah Whitelaw were jointly recognised as “gender equity trailblazers” who have shown “unwavering commitment to improving women’s participation in healthcare and leadership,” said AMA President Professor Steve Robson.
Helena is Professor of Women’s Health and Equity at Monash University and Director of the Monash Centre for Health Research Implementation.
She spearheads the Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership (AWHL) initiative.
The large-scale national research project, of which Monash Health is a lead partner, seeks to foster a workplace environment and opportunities which enable employees to reach their full potential.
“Healthcare has a 78 per cent female workforce, yet we have major inequity in leadership roles,” Prof Teede said.
“My focus has been on using evidence to support gender equity and diversity in leadership as a foundation across healthcare, medical research, education and training.”
Prof Teede’s work has “paved a path for generations to continue in her footsteps,” said the AMA’s Prof Robson.
Dr Keeth Mayakaduwage – AMA Women’s Health Award
Monash Health resident medical officer Dr Keeth Mayakaduwage received the AMA Women’s Health Award for his contributions to improving stillbirth prevention and antenatal care.
“His contributions to women’s health and stillbirth prevention cannot be understated,” said Prof Robson.
“Dr Mayakaduwage has shown incredible dedication to this extremely important cause, not only through his research, but also through his various roles on international and national women’s health committees.”
Dr Mayakaduwage’s research in collaboration with Safer Care Victoria and the Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence, has advanced Australia’s understanding of the complexities of stillbirth and the importance of evidence-based practices.
His leadership in the Victorian government’s evaluation of the Safer Baby Bundle has also helped improve antenatal care.
“This [award] is a testament to the collaborative efforts of so many dedicated individuals and organisations working tirelessly to advance women’s health,” Dr Mayakaduwage said.
In Australia, six babies are stillborn each day.
“More than 2,000 Australian families [are affected] every year. This underscores the urgent need for continued efforts in research, advocacy, and policy development to ensure better health outcomes for all women,” he said.
