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14C. ASRH Abstract Session: Social, political & cultural aspects: Abortion, contraception, transgender, reproductive justice

Tracks
Thursday, September 17, 2026
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Speaker

Dr Brianna Larsen
Senior Lecturer - Exercise And Sport Science
University of Southern Queensland

Lived Experiences of Endometriosis Among Trans and Gender Diverse People: Burden, Barriers, and Pathways to Inclusive Care

Abstract PDF

Biography

Dr Brianna Larsen is a Senior Lecturer of Sport and Exercise at UniSQ. Her research focuses on menstrual and reproductive health, female athlete physiology and performance, endometriosis, and gender diverse healthcare. She supervises HDR students, collaborates nationally and internationally, and translates research into clinical, community, and educational practice.
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Ms Hannah Bambra
Lead Facilitator
The Abortion Project

Co-Presenting: Understanding Peer Support as Abortion Aftercare from the Perspectives of People Who Have Had Abortions

Biography

Hannah Bambra is a writer, abortion peer support and reproductive health advocate.
Dr Shelly Makleff
Research Fellow
The University Of Melbourne

Co-Presenting: Understanding Peer Support as Abortion Aftercare from the Perspectives of People Who Have Had Abortions

Abstract PDF

Biography

Hannah Bambra (she/her) is a writer, peer support worker and reproductive health advocate. She has been published in leading Australian newspapers about topics including medical misogyny, the healthcare impacts of conscientious objection, and the need for trauma-informed fertility care. She is the lead facilitator of The Abortion Project's Naarm group.
Ms Miranda Millen
PhD Candidate
Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health

The self-improved and sexually empowered ‘self’: Women’s experiences of casual sex and sexual wellbeing

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Biography

Miranda Millen is a PhD candidate at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS). Her work explores how gendered narratives of victim-blaming and slut-shaming impact women's experiences navigating sexual consent, pleasure and wellbeing.
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Dr Allison Carter
Senior Lecturer
The Kirby Institute

Experiences of contraceptive interference among men: Qualitative findings from the Third Australian Study of Health and Relationships

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Biography

Dr Burry is a PhD graduate of the Kirby Institute, UNSW, specialising in reproductive (in)justice in the Pacific Islands. She has worked as a sex educator in Vanuatu and New Zealand and led research on sexual health, family planning access, and reproductive coercion across Australia, New Zealand, and Vanuatu.
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Ms Eleni Gabrielides
Manager Health Promotion
Meridian

“You’re there to collect my cells, not to judge me”: Co-designing a lived-experience resource for inclusive cervical screening care

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Biography

Eleni Gabrielides is a Health Promotion Manager at Meridian in Canberra, with six years’ experience in sexual health promotion. She focuses on creating inclusive, community-driven initiatives that support engagement, reduce stigma, and improve access to care.
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Ms Rashmi Pithavadian
PhD Candidate and Sessional Academic
Western Sydney University

Diversity gaps in vaginismus care: A qualitative analysis for sexual and reproductive health and rights

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Biography

Rashmi Pithavadian is an award-winning health researcher and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her published journal articles and chapters examine the biopsychosocial health of marginalised people with sexual dysfunction, migrancy and refugee status, and LGBTQ+ identities. She is also sessional academic at Western Sydney University and Charles Darwin University.
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