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Tell us a little about yourself...

I’m originally from Vancouver, Canada, and have a multidisciplinary background in Psychology (BA), International Development (MA), and Clinical Epidemiology (PhD). Before moving to Australia in 2014, I worked for a global health NGO, advancing the integration of hepatitis C research into practice and policy with international and national partners. Now, my postdoctoral research focuses on breaking down barriers to hepatitis C care for people who inject drugs.

Can you describe the research project funded by the HSR Theme?

The HSR-funded project is The BUMP-C Study: Bridging Unified Management of Pregnancy Care in Hepatitis C.

This study investigates the acceptability of integrated hepatitis C-pregnancy care pathways for women/gender diverse people of childbearing age with a history of injection drug use. We aim to optimise these pathways to reduce gender-based inequities in care, especially as hepatitis C treatment during pregnancy becomes increasingly feasible.

What are you hoping to achieve with grant funding?

With the BUMP-C funding, we aim to expand the project by securing additional support, building more collaborations, and maximising impact. Our multidisciplinary team – whom I am most inspired by and includes Dr. Antonia Shand, Dr. Kristen Overton, Dr. Danielle Russell, Dr. Alys Havard, Dr. Natalie Taylor and Ms. Grace Burton-McKeich as well as Ms. Ele Morrison and Ms. Jess Doumany from AIVL – will continue to identify and address health system challenges by combining expertise across health, research, and community to enhance integrated hepatitis C-pregnancy care models.

Looking ahead, what do you see as the potential impacts of your research on future health systems?

The BUMP-C study has the potential to foster synergistic partnerships between research, health sectors, and community organizations. We aim to inform clinical guidelines, improve healthcare provider training, develop an implementation framework for integrated care, and through community partnerships, co-design a peer training toolkit for women/gender diverse people with substance use challenges.

Now for something personal. Any streaming recomendations you can share?

Of course! My latest show picks are After the Party (ABC iView) and The Responder (³§µþ³§).Ìý