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  5. Newsletter | Issue 1 | June 2016
  6. The University of Melbourne and the Women's Appoint First Chair of Family Violence Prevention

The University of Melbourne and the Women's Appoint First Chair of Family Violence Prevention

On 30th May, the Minister for Health, Jill Hennessy, announced the appointment of Professor Kelsey Hegarty as Australia’s first chair of Family Violence Prevention.  

A joint appointment by The University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital (the Women’s), the Minister made the announcement at the first Strengthening Hospital Responses to Family Violence (SHRFV) forum in Melbourne.

It came as the World Health Organisation adopted a global plan of action at the weekend to strengthen the role of the health system to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls and against children.

Australia was one of 44 Member States that adopted the resolution at the 69th World Health Assembly. The new chair of Family Violence Prevention will work closely with the WHO over coming months as an expert advisor.

Professor Hegarty is a leading voice at The University of Melbourne and researcher on the role of the health system in preventing family violence in Australia and globally.

To view the article in full, please click here.