ASHA Awards 2017

Distinguished Services to Sexual Health: Awarded to Professor Christopher Fairley 

 Chris and Kit web v

Pictured above Dr Chris Bourne and Professor Christopher Fairley

This award recognises your distinguished and visionary leadership and outstanding contribution to the field of sexual health, both nationally and internationally.

 

Mid-Career Multi-Disciplinary Achiever Award: Joint award winners Dr Eric Chow and Associate Professor Christy Newman

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Pictured above left: Dr Deborah Bateson and Dr Eric Chow, above right: Dr Deborah Bateson and Associate Professor Christy Newman

 This award recognises an outstanding mid-career interdisciplinary achiever in an area of sexual health. This person must clearly demonstrate:

  • Outstanding achievement in the last 12 months as a member of an interdisciplinary team
  • Leadership in an interdisciplinary approach to the field of sexual health and the patients and staff who exist within it 
  • Advocacy in an interdisciplinary approach to the field of sexual health and the patients and staff who exist within it

 

ASHA Young Leader Award:  Joint award winners Gemma Hearnshaw and Lauren Coelli 

Chris and Gemma web v          Chris and Lauren web v

Pictured above left: Dr Chris Bourne and Gemma Hearnshaw, above right: Dr Chris Bourne and Lauren Coelli

 The purpose of this award is to recognise an outstanding Young Leader working in an area of Sexual Health. There are a number of criteria to be met and these are that the awardee:

  • Must motivate and inspire the people around them to accomplish more than they would normally,
  • Must inspire a high level of commitment from others when taking on new initiatives.
  • Must Create a compelling vision for the future and help others understand their role in achieving the vision.
  • Must Set a high standard of integrity by leading through example

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Executive Committee

Co – Chairs

 Temple Smith

Professor Meredith Temple-Smith – Sexual Health Society of Victoria

Meredith Temple-Smith is the Director of Research Training in the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne. Meredith is had a long-standing research interest in the areas of sexual health, hepatitis C, and health services research. She is known for her research on sensitive topics in marginalized groups, She is author of over 90 publications, and editor or co-author of five books; including Sexual health: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (Ed: Temple-Smith) published in 2014 by IP Communications, and Sexuality in Adolescence: the Digital Generation (Temple-Smith, Moore and Rosenthal) published in 2015, by Psychology Press of the Taylor and Francis Group. She is Editor-in-Chief (Southern) for the Asia-Pacific Journal of Family Medicine.

 

 

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Dr Nick Medland – Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM)

Dr Nicholas Medland is a Sexual Health Physician at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital. He has 20 years of clinical experience in HIV medicine and HIV program delivery, oversight and management (community/general practice in Australia as Clinical Director of the Centre Clinic / Victorian AIDS Council, international/foreign aid programs in Vietnam as Care and Treatment Program Chief US CDC Vietnam). In research, he has been the Assistant Director for clinical research at HIVNAT and is now completing a PhD in HIV clinical and epidemiological research at Monash University Central Clinical School. He has extensive experience in HIV and health medical education including holding the position of Deputy Director of the Harvard Medical School HIV AIDS Initiative in Vietnam (national doctors HIV training program) and in ASHM/VHHITAL programs in Australia.

Executive

 Fisher

Associate Professor Christopher M. Fisher - Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe Univeristy, Melbourne

Associate Professor Christopher Fisher works as a Principal Research Fellow at the Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University. He leads ARCSHS’ strategic area of young people’s sexual health, including the National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health. Christopher also serves on the board of directors for the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality and as Director Emeritus for the Midlands Sexual Health Research Collaborative at the University of Nebraska in the United States. He has a passion for using research as a tool to better understand sexual health, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours from a systems perspective to better inform policy and practice for sexually health populace.

 

 Bourne

Dr Chris Bourne – NSW STI Programs Unit

Dr Chris Bourne is the Head of the NSW Sexually Transmitted Infections Programs Unit; Senior Specialist in Sexual Health Medicine at Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Hospital; and Conjoint Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales. He has worked in sexual health medicine for more than 20 years in urban, rural and remote settings, and has provided consultancies in many South East Asian countries. He has written sexual health care guidelines and conducted training in Australia and Asia. He is a member of the NSW Health HIV Implementation Committee and his professional and research interests include the epidemiology of STIs and HIV, and sexual health program and clinical operations especially those targeted to high priority populations.

 

 Aggleton

Professor Peter Aggleton – Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney, Australia

Peter Aggleton works in the Centre for Social Research in Health at UNSW Australia. He has a background in sociology, psychology, policy studies, education and international health. A UNSW Scientia Professor, he is well known internationally for his analytic work on the social aspects of HIV, sexuality and gender, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Peter is the editor-in-chief of 3 international peer reviewed journals: Culture, Health & Sexuality, Health Education Journal and Sex Education, and an associate editor of the journals AIDS Education and Prevention, Global Public Health and Health Education Research. He has worked closely with national, international and UN system agencies for over twenty-five years to strengthen responses to HIV and sexual health. Within Arts and Social Sciences at UNSW more generally, he directs a major new strategic initiative on Practical Justice.

 

Dr Ellie Freedman – Forensic and Medical Sexual Assault Care Australia

Ellie Freedman is a Sexual Health Physician and is the Medical Director of the Northern Sydney Sexual Assault Service.  She is the Education Officer of FAMSACA (Forensic and Medical Sexual Assault Clinicians Australia).She undertook her undergraduate medical training in the UK and specialized in Sexual Health and HIV and later gained fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine. She consults to both the Education Centre Against Violence (ECAV) and to Family Planning NSW and sits on the ECAV Clinical Standards Committee and on the NSW Ministry of Health Sexual Assault Clinical Advisory Group. In her clinical work she provides a forensic and medical service to adult victims of sexual assault and works as a sessional doctor at Royal North Shore Hospital Sexual Health Clinic (Clinic 16).  She teaches both undergraduate and post graduate medical practitioners on management of adult sexual assault.

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Suzanne Werder – New Zealand Sexual Health Society

I have worked in sexual health at Auckland Sexual Health Service for 20 ‘odd’ years, the last 10 years as a nurse specialist. I have a particular interest in providing sexual health in the community through partnerships with the New Zealand Aids Foundation and the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective as well as at community events in collaboration with health promotions. I completed a Masters of Nursing in 2015 and working towards becoming a nurse practitioner.

 

Bateson

 

Dr Deborah Bateson - Family Planning Alliance Australia

Dr Deborah Bateson is the Medical Director at Family Planning NSW and holds the titles of Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University, Melbourne. Deborah is an expert in reproductive and sexual health having worked as a clinician, researcher and educator for over 15 years with extensive experience overseeing the delivery of high quality and innovative family planning services nationally and internationally. Deborah has particular interests in improving access to contraception and abortion, the prevention of cervical cancer and in improving the sexual health of older women and men. She has published widely and frequently provides expert commentary to the media.

 Judith Dean head shot

 

Judith Dean – Queensland Sexual Health Society

Dr Judith Dean is a Registered Nurse/Midwife with over 25 years of experience in sexual and reproductive health, HIV, midwifery, and health education in urban and remote Australia. She has also worked overseas with the International Committee of Red Cross setting up maternal and child health and midwifery training programs in conflict settings such as South Sudan and Afghanistan. She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the University of Queensland, School of Public Health HIV Sexual Health Research Hub. Prior to this she was the State Nurse Educator for Sexual Health HIV Service for Queensland Health. She has been an active Sexual Health Society of Queensland committee member for about 10 years including two terms as President.

 

 K.Fleming

Kirsteen (Kirsty) Fleming – Australasian Sexual Health & HIV Nurses Association

Kirsteen (Kirsty) Fleming works as State Nurse Coordinator for Family Planning NSW. She has 17 years’ experience working in gynaecology, medical imaging and reproductive and sexual health nursing. Kirsty is a Nurse Practitioner and holds a Masters degree in Womens Health Medicine from the University of NSW. Kirsty is passionate about improving people’s reproductive and sexual health through education and screening. Kirsty has a special interest in exploring how nursing scope of practice can adapt to better meet the reproductive and sexual health needs of her clients. Kirsty maintains a clinical load by working in Family Planning NSW clinics. Within clinics she provides reproductive and sexual health services to clients including sexual health and cervical screening, contraceptive advice and both intrauterine device and contraceptive implant insertion and removal procedures.

 Lisa Torney head shot

Lisa Torney – Society for Australian Sexologists

Lisa has a Master of Sexual Health Counselling from Sydney University and is a mental health accredited social worker. Lisa is the Victorian Branch President of the Society of Australian Sexologists and has over 20 years counselling experience as a social worker and through her private practice.

 

 Dawson

Angela Dawson - The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA)

Angela is the convenor of the Public Health Association of Australia’s  Women’s Health Special Interest Group and an Associate Professor in Public Health at the The Australian Centre for Public and Population Health Research at the University of Technology Sydney. Angela is a public health social scientist with expertise in maternal and reproductive health service delivery to priority populations. She has undertaken research into to the delivery of sexual and reproductive health services in humanitarian contexts as well as access to abortion and emergency contraceptive pills in Australian and internationally. She is also interested in the management and referral of women who have experienced domestic violence and care of women with FGM.

 

Catherine OConnor

 

A/Professor Catherine O'Connor - Australian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine (AChSHM)

A/Prof Catherine O'Connor is the Director of Sexual Health Service for Sydney Local Health District and is based at RPA Sexual Health Clinic. She is also Executive Clinical Director for Community Health in Sydney Local Health District. She is Chairperson of RPAH Medical Staff Council. and Acting President of AChSHP of RACP. She holds a conjoint appointment at the Kirby Institute, UNSW and the Central Clinical School, Sydney University. Catherine is the current Oceania Vice Chair of IUSTI-Asia Pacific. She has many years of involvement in medical education and medical research with an interest in Epidemiology of HIV & STI in Australasia, HIV/AIDS, Chlamydia and HPV infections. She is a site mentor in ASHM's HIV clinical mentoring program in PNG.

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Latest news

  • 2017
    • The efficacy of community leadership: Trans Health South Australia - a community resource, by the community 31 Oct 2017

      Zac Cannell – Sexual Health Counsellor, SHINE SA Sean Miller – Peer Support Worker/Volunteer Coordinator, Trans Wellbeing Service, SHINE SA October, 2017 The state of South Australia has had a long history of political blockades and community confusion to service provision for the trans and gender diverse community. This has rippled out to medical and community practitioners who may then be unsure about who can provide a service and how this can be done safely. Much of the confusion in SA can be attributed to the creation and implementation of the Sex Reassignment Act 1988 (SA) which, although considered progressive 29 years ago, was repealed in late 2016 as it had numerous areas of concern for the community. For decades, this piece of legislation hindered the community in accessing services...

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    • Transgender Health 06 Sep 2017

      Vickie KnightSenior Clinical Nurse ConsultantSydney Sexual Health Centre September, 2017 The US Centers for Disease Control defines Transgender as a term for people whose expression of gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term gender identity refers to a person’s intrinsic understanding of their own gender. The term gender expression describes how a person outwardly presents their gender (eg. how they dress). In NSW, recently there has been increasing discussion about the HIV and sexual health needs of people who are trans and gender diverse. In order for clinicians, researchers and the community to understand the needs of people who are trans and gender diverse we need, first and foremost, to be able to identify trans people in our communities and...

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    • FtM Transgender Australians’ Sexual Health 26 May 2017

      Associate Professor Tiffany Jones (PhD), ARC DECRA Fellow, ARCSHS La Trobe Assume Marriage Inequality The E-Males study, in which 273 FtM transgender Australians discussed their sexual health via an online survey and blog, showed sexual health workers must not carry any pre-concieved ideas about FtM transgender peoples’ sex lives. Perhaps the only assumption one can make in Australia, is that they do not yet experience marriage equality. FtM transgender people legally recognised as men (only) can get married to a woman (only), but all other options are off the table, and they also can’t maintain any pre-existing marriage to a man post-transition. Thus, the majority of participants had never married (66%), and 18% were in de facto relationships. However some smaller groups had engaged in legal...

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  • 2016
    • Seven Facts About Sex Therapy 20 Jul 2016

      Dr Christopher Fox Sex therapy is also referred to sex counselling, sexual health counselling, (clinical) sexology or sexual therapy. In Australia, the Society of Australian Sexologists, the National professional body for sex therapists and educators, uses the term Psychosexual Therapist for accredited members who must meet stringent educational standards. What is Sex Therapy? Sex therapy is a specialist form of counselling/therapy. It is just like other forms of psychological counselling only with a focus on human sexuality. Sex therapists are not a deviant bunch – they are professionals with specialist training and experience in dealing with issues of human sexuality.

      Read More ...

    • ASHA Book Review: Male Sex Work and Society 07 Mar 2016

      Male Sex Work and Society, edited by Victor Minichiello and John Scott Review by By Dr Margaret Redelman OAM, MBBS, MPsychotherapy This very easy to read very pro-gay and pro sex worker book gives a wide-ranging introduction to ideas and concepts that need further scientific discourse and research in the field of male sex workers. The book mostly presents anecdotal and soft research data and repeatedly reiterates that this area is poorly researched and especially when compared to female sex workers. There are few hypotheses and conclusions but maybe it’s too early for these and the material presented here can be the launching pad for more scientific work. 

      Read More ...

    • ASHA Book Review: The Secrets of the ANZACS 07 Mar 2016

      The Secrets of the ANZACS: The Untold Story of Venereal Disease in the Australian Army, 1914-1919 by Raden Dunbar Published October 2014 and distributed by Penguin Books New Zealand. RRP $37.00 Review by Dame Margaret Sparrow, a doctor, reproductive rights advocate and author. During World War 1 about 60,000 soldiers or 13-15% of troops in the Australian Army were treated for venereal disease (VD), mainly gonorrhoea, less commonly syphilis and fewer still for chancroid. In this pre-antibiotic era treatments were often prolonged and unsatisfactory and soldiers also had to cope with the stigma surrounding VD. The book is in three parts.

      Read More ...

  • 2015
    • ASHA Book Review: Sexual Health – A Multidisciplinary Approach 28 May 2015

      Edited by A/Prof. Meredith Temple-Smith Review by Dr Lynnette Wray MBBS (Hons1) MM (VenSci), FAChSHM, President Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine This new book is a sequel to and an expansion of the original book Sexual Health: An Australian Perspective which was first published in 2005 and gave us for the first time in Australia, a book which covered the broader concepts of sexual health, by focusing on a bio-psychosocial approach, rather than a disease and diagnosis focused text.

      Read More ...

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2015 ASHA Mid-Career Interdisciplinary Achiever Award Recipient

ASHA congratulates Dr Megan Lim, Senior Research Fellow at the Burnet Institute, who was presented with the inaugural ASHA 2015 Mid-Career Interdisciplinary Achiever Award in recognition of her outstanding interdisciplinary achievements in sexual health.

Dr Lim's work with social media and mobile technologies in relation to the sexual development of young people and, more recently, sex workers in Kenya, demonstrates outstanding collaborative leadership and advocacy in the field of sexual health.

Dr Lim recently received NHMRC funding for a sexual health intervention for sex workers in Kenya. This project involved working in collaboration with WHO, FH1360, the International Centre for Reproductive Health, local service providers, and sex workers. Through participatory design (engaging sex workers), and capacity building with local researchers, service providers, and peer educators, this project will have a lasting impact on the sexual health of a highly vulnerable and marginalised group.

Other achievements include receiving ARC funding for an investigation of the role of social media in young people's sexual development, in collaboration with researchers from sexual health, media, and IT disciplines; and establishing the 'SCOPE' sexual education project which involves working with community organisations, young people, and social media advocates.

Dr Lim collaborates with health promotion practitioners and community organisations and her research is driven by their identified needs. For example, a current project is scoping the experiences and challenges faced by practitioners in using new media for health promotion. This project is using key informant interviews and mixed methods research to identify strengths and limitations in current practice and identify bottlenecks in research translation. It is only through this interdisciplinary approach that interventions proven successful in research can be moved into the broader population. Collaborations between researchers and health promotion practitioners will ensure that research findings are translated and disseminated effectively.

Dr Lim is a recognised leader in her field of research. Her leadership reaches beyond the research setting to government, service providers, community groups, and non-government organisations. Dr Lim is an executive committee member of the Sexual Health Society of Victoria (SHSOV) and has been responsible for establishing the SHSOV website and social media profiles. Through these media she has reached thousands of diverse individuals and organisations with an interest in sexual health. She has also been involved in organising Society events and scholarships, in line with the Society's mission "promoting sexual health by the multidisciplinary exchange of knowledge and ideas."

The award was presented by Dr Deborah Bateson, ASHA Chair, at the 2015 World STI & HIV Congress in Brisbane on 16 September 2015. The prize is a one-year journal subscription to Sexual Health, kindly donated by MSD.

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News

Upcoming Transgender Health workshop in Brisbane (10th and 11th of February 2018) - Best Practice in Transgender Health: ​A Workshop for GP's, Health Care Providers, Trans Individuals & Parents

Workshop run by IRIS Education CLICK HERE for more information and to register. 


2017 Australasian Sexual Health Conference Key Learnings Report

A report of key learnings with policy makers, health professionals, and community reviewed from the 2017 conference is available. Download a copy: Key Learnings Report  |  View as online Magazine

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Tuesday 28 November

CAREER OPPORTUNITY - Research Assocaite, Post Doctoral Fellow at The Kirby Institute for Infection and Immunity in Society, UNSW Medicine. This position will contribute to the conceptualisation, design and implementation of epidemiological and public health research projects. In particular, this position will be involved with the direction, management and application of a large national database used to monitor blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections across Australia. CLICK HERE for more information and to apply.


Monday 20 November 2017
The Journal of Global Public Health has released an article by Peter Aggleton and Purnima Mane on Enabling positive change: Progress and setbacks in HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Click here to read the full article.

Thursday 9 November 2017
2018 Sexual Health conference announcement - 2018 IUSTI AP Congress will be a joint meeting between the International Union for Sexually Transmitted Infections –Asia Pacific, the NZ Sexual Health Society and the Australasian Sexual Health Alliance and will be held in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand 1-3 November 2018. For more information please see the conference website.

October 2017
New blog post! Zac Cannell and Sean Miller from SHINE SA talk about trans health on the ASHA blog - The Efficacy of community leadership: Trans Health South Australia - a community resource, byt the community. CLICK HERE to read the full blog.

Wednesday 7 June 2017
The wrap-up report for the 2016 Australasian Sexual Health Conference in now available. Click here to view the detailed report. For further information on the 2016 or 2017 Australasian Sexual Health Conference, please contact the ASHA Secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Tuesday 6 June 2017
Online registrations are now open for the 2017 Australasian Sexual Health Conference. Register before Sunday, 3 September and save $100. Click here to see the program overview and click here to register. We look forward to seeing you in Canberra, ACT from Tuesday, 7 November - Thursday, 9 November 2017.

Wednesday 24 May 2017
The Journal of Adolescent Health has released a position paper by Anita Brakman, Claudia Borzutzky, Sasha Carey, Melissa Kang & Tanya Kowalczyk Mullins on Condom Availability in Schools: A Practical Approach to the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infection/HIV and Unintended Pregnancy. Click here to read the position paper in full.

Friday 21 April 2017
The Journal of Youth Studies has released an article by Stephen Bell, Peter Aggleton, James Ward & Lisa Maher on Sexual agency, rick and vulnerability: a scoping review of young Indigenous Australians' sexual health. Click here to read the article in full.

Tuesday 28 February 2017
ASHA co-chair and Family Planning Medical Director Dr Deborah Bateson explains the recent changes in the National Cervical Screening Program. Click here for the full Sydney Morning Herald article.

Wednesday 8 February 2017
The 9th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health Rights have opened abstract submissions for their upcoming 2017 conference, scheduled for Monday, 27 November - Thursday, 30 November. This year's conference will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam and expects to welcome 1,000 or more participants from the Asia Pacific region. Visit the website for more information.

Friday 2 December 2016
ASHA have released commentary on the new WHO global treatment guidelines for gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis. A recent review of the Australian STI Guidelines found that there were no changes required and that the Australian guidelines are consistent with the new WHO STI treatment recommendations.

Thursday 24 November 2016
Family Planning NSW have released an updated edition of Reproductive and Sexual Health: An Australian Clinical Practice Handbookwhich is a resource for all primary care practitioners. The updated Handbook features 17 chapters on Reproductive and Sexual Health including new topics on early pregnancy related problems and pelvic floor disorders.

Wednesday 23 November 2016
Iris Education are running two face-to-face workshops in Brisbane in 2017 - Sexual Health First Aid Workshop and Best Practice in Transgender Health Workshop for GPs and Health Providers. Visit the website for more information.

Wednesday 16 November 2016
Dr Peter Saxton, New Zealand AIDS Foundation Fellow and Director of the Gay Men's Sexual Health (GMSH) research group at the University of Auckland has been awarded the 'Mid-career interdisciplinary achiever award' by ASHA. Click here to read the full press release.

Friday 11 November 2016
The Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine (AChSHM) invite AChSHM Fellows and trainees, GPs and allied health professionals to the 2017 AChSHM Annual Scientific Meeting in Sydney on 18 March 2017. More information on the website

Tuesday 25 October 2016
The International Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) has recently launched a series of 'Topic Reports' to inform us of the most up-to-date research and practice, and to provide a resource for teaching, and planning meetings. The reports include recent advances in the field; top 5 most important recent publications; potential speakers for meetings and questions to be answered by future research.

Wednesday 21 August 2016
UNSW Practical Justice Initiative and the Australian Human Rights Centre invite you to the free lecture Do Definitions Matter? Data, Law and Decision-Making in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights on Tuesday 4 October 5.30-7.00pm at the University of New South Wales, Randwick NSW.

Tuesday 12 July 2016
The Play Safe website from NSW Health has just launched a new sexual health discussion forum for young people aged 15-29 years. The Play Safe Forum is a place where young people can anonymously submit questions to the resident sexual health expert, Nurse Nettie, as well as chat to their peers about sex, relationships and everything in between.

Friday 1 July 2016
ASHM are offering scholarships to attend the 2016 Australasian Sexual Health Conference. See the conference website for further information and to apply.

Thursday 19 May 2016
Registrations are now open for the 2016 WA Sexual Health and Blood-borne Virus Applied Research and Evaluation Network (SiREN) Symposium ‘Innovation in Practice’, which will be held 9 – 10 June 2016 at Technology Park in Bentley Western Australia. Register here.

Tuesday 12 April 2016
Are you treating patients living with HIV? Complete the University of Queensland’s quick, anonymous, online survey and go into the draw to WIN a $2000 Flight Centre gift card! The study aims to identify practitioners’ needs and improve smoking cessation services for people living HIV.

Thursday 7 April 2016
Australian STI Management Guidelines For Use in Primary Care – Annual Critical Review Now Complete
These Guidelines, developed by ASHA, are an online resource designed to provide Primary Care Providers with concise information to support the prevention, testing, diagnosis, management and treatment for sexually transmissible infections. The Guidelines are supported by RACGP, AChSHM, ASID, APNA, FPAA, AIDA and ACNP to ensure they reflect best practice and are appropriate for use in primary care. For more information, visit the website.

Monday 7 March 2016
The Australasian Sexual Health Alliance (ASHA) supports the work of the Australian Safe Schools Coalition. As a group of partner organisations established to improve national and local responses to sexual health, we see this program as a key component of promoting healthy, safe relationships. Adverse psychological and physical health outcomes remain a common experience for same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students and teachers need accurate and evidence based resources to help them make schools a safer place for all students. We strongly encourage the government to continue to support this invaluable program.

Monday 7 March 2016
Read the latest ASHA book review of "Male Sex Work and Society", edited by Victor Minichiello and John Scott, reviewed by Dr Margaret Redelman OAM, Sexologist and President of the Society of Australian Sexologists NSW. 

Friday 26 February 2016
Dame Margaret Sparrow, a leading New Zealand reproductive rights advocate, doctor, and author has written a fascinating book review for ASHA, reviewing the recently published book "The Secrets of the ANZACS: The Untold Story of Venereal Disease in the Australian Army, 1914-1919" by Raden Dunbar. 

Tuesday 16 February 2016
The Centre for Social Research in Health invites researchers, health professionals, policy-makers and community members from across a variety of fields to join them at the Social Research Conference on HIV, Viral Hepatitis & Related Diseases. Registrations close 18 March 2016. 

Monday 15 February 2016
The Sexual Health and Blood-borne Virus Applied Research & Evaluation Network (SiREN) are offering a scholarship for a PhD candidate to pursue a project in the area of sexual health and blood-borne viruses exploring evaluation and capacity building. Applications close 29 February 2016.  

Friday, 20 November 2015
The Royal Australian College of Physicians have recently launched a position statement titled Sexual and Reproductive Health Care for Young People, calling for change to improve access for young people in Australia and New Zealand to sexual and reproductive care.

Friday, 30 October 2015
The Australia Forum on Sexuality, Education and Health is holding it 1st National Conference, titled 'Equity and Justice – in Gender, Sexuality, Education and Health' at Western Sydney University on 22-23 November 2015. The Conference aims to increase the public profile of work on equity and justice particularly in relation to contemporary issues of gender, sexuality, health and education and their intersections. Registrations close 6 November 2015.

Monday, 19 October 2015
The Centre for Social Research in Health will host the 14th Social Research Conference on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Related Diseases at UNSW Australia on Thursday March 31 and Friday April 1, 2016. Scholarship applications are now open. Abstract submissions close 2 November 2015.

Wednesday, 13 October 2015
The UNDP have recently released the Blueprint for the Provision of Comprehensive Care for Trans People and Trans Communities in Asia and the Pacific. This publication outlines the priority health care needs and human rights issues for transgender people in the Asia Pacific region.

Thursday, 17 September 2015
ASHA congratulate Dr Megan Lim, winner of the inaugural ASHA Mid-Career Interdisciplinary Achiever Award, presented yesterday at the 2015 World STI & HIV Congress.

Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Wednesday 16 September 2015 marks Global Female Condom Day. Global Female Condom Day is an annual day of education and advocacy to increase awareness, access, and use of female condoms. Find out more on the Global Female Condom Day website.

Tuesday, 8 September 2015
South Western Sydney Local Health District have an employment opportunity for a Director of Sexual Health. Applications close 20 September 2015. 

Friday, 4 September 2015
Friday 4th September 2015 marks World Sexual Health Day! This year's focus is on how promotion of sexual health and sexual rights contribute to a fairer society for all persons. Under the theme "Sexual Health for a Fairer Society", the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) has updated and published a Sexual Rights Declaration.

Wednesday, 2 September 2015
The Victorian government have recently included sexual and reproductive health as an important component of overall health and wellbeing in the new Victorian Health and Wellbeing Plan.

Tuesday, 1 September 2015
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has recently released Patient Delivered Partner Therapy (PDPT) Guidelines for Chlamydia. PDPT describes the practice in which treatment is prescribed for the sexual partner/s of an index patient diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, as well as the index patient.

Monday, 31 August 2015
The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) have an employment opportunity for a Research Fellow in Women's Reproductive & Sexual Health. Applications close 30 September 2015. 

Wednesday, 19 August 2015
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have released a statement supporting the use of expedited partner therapy as a method of preventing gonorrhoea and chlamydial reinfection when a patient's partners are unable or unwilling to seek medical care.

Thursday, 6 August 2015
A senior researcher from the University of New England has launched the first Australia-wide survey intended to give direct voice to intersex people.

Friday, 31 July 2015
The University of Wollongong are working on a next generation condom made from hydrogels, funded by one of 52 worldwide grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Dr Deborah Bateson, ASHA Chair and Medical Director of Family Planning NSW, responds to the Channel 7 news story on combined oral contraception and risk of stroke. Dr Bateson provides information to support practitioners in addressing concerns raised by the story about the risk of stroke for women using a combined oral contraceptive, as well as guidance for safe contraceptive prescribing in the context of stroke.

Friday, 26 June 2015
UNESCO, UNDP and Being LGBT in Asia have launched a #PurpleMySchool campaign to create safe spaces for LGBTI students across Asia and the Pacific.

Wednesday, 3 June 2015
ASHA have endorsed the new STIGMA one-hour online learning module for GPs, Becoming more Gay Friendly in your Practice. Login and earn 2 RACGP QI&CPD points!

Friday, 29 May 2015
Check out the ASHA collaborator prizes to be awarded at the 2015 World HIV & STI Congress.

Thursday, 28 May 2015
Read the book review by Dr Lynnette Wray, President of the Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine, of 'Sexual Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach', edited by A/Prof. Meredith Temple-Smith.

Tuesday, 26 May 2015
You are warmly invited to attend the 2015 ASHA social networking event 'Coming Together: Getting to know ASHA and each other' at the World STI & HIV Congress!

Monday, 18 May 2015
Join the Centre for Excellence in Rural Sexual Health for the SEXruality Conference  in Bendigo 21-22 July 2015. The conference focuses on sexual and reproductive health in rural settings, and encourages growth in the capacity of rural practitioners and early career researchers.

Monday, 11 May 2015
Researchers at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre have developed evidence-based resources  to assist primary healthcare providers in supporting pregnant women who use alcohol and other drugs.

Monday, 4 May 2015
The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the Family Planning Alliance Australia (FPAA) have recently launched a policy document designed to advance sexual and reproductive wellbeing in Australia.

Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Wednesday 17 December is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. To show your support, attend a local event.

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