The Royal Women's Hospital

It is a privilege to care for many of Victoria’s littlest babies. The Women’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is always open. It provides around-the-clock care for 1,500 unwell or premature babies each year. November is #NICUAwarenessMonth and aims to highlight the unique experiences of babies and families in NICU. We acknowledge the strength and resilience of our NICU babies and their families as they navigate each challenge, and spend days, weeks or even months in hospital. Of course, this month is also about the extraordinary people who work in #NICU. The expert multidisciplinary teams who come together to help babies thrive – thank you for everything you do.

We are thrilled that Associate Professor Melinda Truesdale has been recognised with the prestigious Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) Medal. A/Prof Truesdale is the first woman in Victoria to be awarded the medal, and only the 18th recipient in 40 years of the College. The medal recognises distinguished services to the College. Melinda’s dedication to advancing emergency medicine in Australia is evident through her involvement in training, education, accreditation, and numerous committees. At the Women’s, Melinda has made a significant impact on patients and colleagues as Director of the Women’s Emergency Care for the past 10 years, as well as in senior roles at The Royal Melbourne Hospital. For Melinda, quality and safety of care is paramount and this is reflected in her leadership and initiatives. One of Melinda’s key achievements was the start of the trainee program through Women’s Emergency Care. More than 80 trainee doctors have since gained experience in women’s health and neonatal care, in a highly specialised setting. In addition to emergency medicine, Melinda has studied medical law, aviation medicine and health administration and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Her strength in leadership and curiosity for learning is truly inspiring. Congratulations Melinda on this well-deserved recognition!

The Women’s is #hiring two roles to support improved health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, patients and their families. The Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer provides assistance and advocacy to First Nations patients and their families receiving care at the Women’s. The Badjurr-Bulok Wilam Lead will head up a small team and promote First Nations health programs and policies across the organisation and in the community. These roles are essential to the Women’s commitment to delivering services that are underpinned by the fundamental significance of kinship, culture, community and connection to Country, for the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Working at the Women's, you will enjoy a range of rewarding benefits including First Nations employee networking and development sessions, five weeks' annual leave, monthly Accrued Days Off (ADOs) and comprehensive wellbeing support. Find out more via the job ads below. -Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer: https://lnkd.in/gQxpRCY7 -Badjurr-Bulok Wilam Lead: https://lnkd.in/g4jaDWdD #WorkAtTheWomens #IndigenousHealth #AboriginalCareers

In 2008, abortions were decriminalised in Victoria. Victoria has since become a leader in access to sexual and reproductive healthcare. A new report from Women's Health Victoria shows we can't be complacent. We still have a long way to go. The "Realising access" report found big gaps in access to abortion and contraception care across Victoria. The report analysed 30,000 calls that women made to the 1800 My Options phoneline (between 2018-2023) and a list of services. The report found that “service deserts” were common in regional Victoria. Some women reported traveling great distances to access abortion services. They also funded overnight stays and took time off work. The Women’s fully supports the report’s recommendations, especially: • to collect better data and • to invest in low-cost and free sexual and reproductive healthcare across Victoria. This will make abortion care available to all. The Women’s is a pro-choice organisation. We provide access to abortion and contraception services to support women's #ReproductiveRights - a human right. You can read the full “Realising access” report: https://lnkd.in/gDz2cvdf

Every two minutes, one woman dies of cervical cancer worldwide. Professor Michael Quinn AM is the Women’s former Director of Oncology and wants to change this. “The vast majority of these women died in low- and middle-income countries. They died untreated, uncared for, and unloved. These women would have developed many complications and would have suffered great pain,” Prof. Quinn said at the Women’s 2024 Tracy Maund Oration. He has made it his mission to detect and screen for cervical cancer in disadvantaged countries – and to train up the local workforce. To learn more about the program Prof. Quinn created, head to our website: https://bit.ly/3Ur6I4b #TracyMaund #WomensHealthMatters #Cancer 

Today is the 12th anniversary of the Victorian Parliamentary Apology for Past Adoption Practices and the 6th anniversary of the unveiling of the commemorative sculpture, ‘Taken Not Given’. On this and every day, the Royal Women’s Hospital acknowledges its past role in the forced separation of mothers and babies and their subsequent adoption. We are very sorry for the harm and damage our actions have caused and we are committed to acknowledging the trauma and experiences of those who have been affected. Read the 2012 Victorian Parliamentary Apology: https://lnkd.in/g927uZ2G (PDF, 126KB)

Today is #DropTheJargonDay It’s a good reminder for all health professionals to communicate clearly and drop the jargon. Jargon, such as technical terms and acronyms, can be confusing. Using plain, easy to understand language can help to reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes. If you’re one of our patients or consumers and something we say doesn’t make sense, please let us know. Ask us to explain it again – we’re here to help. Sometimes, we need reminding.

Join us at Australia's largest neonatology conference, presented by the Women’s! Cool Topics in Neonatology returns in November 2024 for its seventeenth year. If you’re a medical, nursing or allied health professional in #NeonatalCare, don’t miss your chance to register. The theme this year is the future of neonatal care. The program will include topics ranging from transforming intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, to exploring the latest in #obstetrics technology. We’ll bring you the latest on neonatal nutrition and oxygen therapy. How do we navigate the brave new world of individual patient and network meta-analyses and how should these change our practice? What are the priority research questions for our tiniest babies born before 25 weeks' gestation? Check out more of the program and register today: https://lnkd.in/g8KaasfF #Neonatology #NICU

Meet baby Johnny. He’s cute, almost five months old – and one of 43 babies born so far from Australia’s first publicly funded IVF program. Last week, Channel 9 News visited us at the Women’s to meet Johnny and learn more about Victoria’s Public Fertility Care. Johnny’s parents Suong and Daniel shared that starting a family was not as easy as they had hoped. Suong is a student nurse who lives with stage 4 endometriosis, the most severe form of the condition. When she and Daniel started trying for a baby, they were given little hope to conceive naturally. That is because endometriosis can damage the ovaries’ function. Learn more about Public Fertility Care and Suong’s story, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3A96bgk #PFC #IVF #WomensHealthMatters Victorian Department of Health Monash Health Mercy Health Northern Health Mildura Base Public Hospital Bendigo Health South West Healthcare Barwon Health Goulburn Valley Health Grampians Health Western Health

We have good news for women struggling to conceive. New research has identified a tiny molecule in the uterus as a major fertility player. The discovery has the potential to unlock new targeted treatments for unexplained infertility. The Victorian team behind the new research is led by Professor Eva Dimitriadis, Co-Director of the Women’s Gynaecology Research Centre. The team has studied the mini messenger molecule called miR-124-3p. This molecule is found in the uterine lining, called the endometrium. Levels of this molecule need to drop during the menstrual cycle, opening a short window of opportunity to conceive. In women who have infertility, the team noticed that levels of this molecule are increased, not reduced. “We believe this molecule disrupts the normal function of cells. This prevents the embryo from attaching,” Professor Dimitriadis says. “Now we can develop targeted interventions to improve the endometrial lining at the time embryos implant. This will enhance the chances of successful pregnancy for a significant number of people.” Academics from the following institute contributed to the research: Royal Women’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Monash Health, the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, University of Cambridge and Universitas Jenderal Soedirman. Read more about the research: https://bit.ly/3UbRDmX Read the full research paper in PNAS: https://bit.ly/3Uboloi #ExcellenceInResearch #WomensHealthMatters #IVF #Infertility