2026 WA Women’s Health Conference
Health Equity for Every Woman
Monday 7 September │ Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Thank you to all attendees, speakers, sponsors and supporters of the 2026 WA Women’s Health Conference!
The event was a success, and we can’t wait to continue the journey in advancing women’s health. Don’t miss out on any updates, to stay up to date on our work, please subscribe to our mailing list.
Photos from the 2026 Conference
The 2026 Women’s Health Conference, placed women’s dignity, choice, and health and wellbeing at the heart of the 2026 WA Women’s Health Conference, Health Equity for Every Woman.
Every woman (cis, trans, and gender-diverse inclusive) deserves healthcare that is equitable, inclusive, and responsive to her needs.
This one-day event brought together government, academia, frontline services, Aboriginal leaders, and lived experience advocates who explored equity-focused, intersectional approaches that ensure healthcare is inclusive, accessible, and responsive to the diverse realities of women’s lives.
Health equity begins with the assertion that every woman, across cultures, identities, abilities, geographies, and lived experiences, deserves healthcare that recognises her dignity, strengthens her autonomy, and responds to the full context of her life. Despite advancements in policy, structural disadvantage, gender-based violence, and racial inequality persist as powerful barriers to women accessing consistent, adequate, or safe care.
Conference Program
Keynote Presentation
Advancing Women’s Health Equity in a Time of Global Change
Professor Louise Keogh
Centre for Health Equity
Keynote Panel
Dr Shirley Bowen
Director General, WA Health
Nesreen Bottriell
CEO, Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights
Ada Hanson
Goldfields Aboriginal Language Centre Aboriginal Corporation
Associate Professor Jocelyn Jones
Maladiny Research Centre, Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan University
Professor Louise Keogh
Centre for Health Equity
Concurrent Session 1
Equity in Maternity Care
Reframing equity in maternity care for Aboriginal women: The Ngangk Maawit Mia Midwifery Group Practice
Melissa Lynch
Curtin University and Women and Newborn Health Service
Complex is not a Complication: Rethinking Care for Women with Enhanced Healthcare Needs
Dannielle Orifici and Jenna Ricciardi
Women and Newborn Health Service
Imprisonment During Pregnancy: Implications for Maternal and Child Health
Dr Megan Bell, University of Western Australia and Kirsten Sykes, Lived Experience Advisor
Gender-Based Violence
Delivering FDSV Services in ACCHSs: Barriers for Aboriginal Women within regional and remote WA
Rachel Radcliffe and Nichole Cunningham
Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia
CARE-FDV in SCGH ED: A Trauma-Informed Model for Emergency Department Response to Family and Domestic Violence
Dr Eve Foreman and Kirsti Kilbane, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
Strangulation: Addressing the diverse and interconnected needs of women
Courtney Artridge
Women’s Health NSW
Concurrent Session 2
Lived Experience Leadership
Comparing WA and National Insights: Amplifying Lived Experience to Drive Endometriosis Policy Reform
Kate Fisher, Endometriosis Coalition
Beyond the System: How Peer Support Transforms Women’s Health
Janel Wong, Alike WA and Jasmyn Hutin, Orana House
From Isolation to Influence: Intersectional Advocacy for Women’s Health
Ciara Galega, Daring Different
Enhancing Access
Equitable abortion care: meeting the needs of women most at risk
Dr Ruth McCuaig and Dr Sheeba Ramasubbu
Women and Newborn Health Service
CLEAR Project: Purpose-built technology transforming FDV response in WA
Bini Evans, Anglicare WA
Kirstin Butcher, Genvis
Women’s Mental Health is not Optional: It is Central to Health Equity
Dr Jie Choo
Women and Newborn Health Service
Keynote Presentation and Discussion
Community-led Care: The Purple House Story
Sarah Brown, CEO Purple House
This conference is about showcasing models of care, health programs and practice, research, or policy work that actively address structural and intersecting barriers to women’s health and strengthen access, equity, and outcomes for women across diverse communities and lived experiences.
