MCWH is committed to building and promoting the evidence base to inform policy, practice and knowledge relating to migrant and refugee women's health and wellbeing.
Our research team works in partnership with health and academic institutions, to conduct community-guided participatory research, in-language data collection and targeted knowledge translation and dissemination.
Current research projects and partnerships
- End All Bias Research Project, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.
- Perinatal Genomics Screening in partnership with the Univresity of Melbourne (MRFF Grant)
- Arabic, Punjabi and Vietnamese women’s experiences of and access to contraception and women’s health care, in partnership with Jean Hailes.
- National Prevention of Gender Based Violence Guide in partnership with our Watch.
- Health Research for All in collaboration with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
- Giving Migrant Mums a Fair Go in partnership with Melbourne University.
- INCLUDE: Cervical Cancer Prevention for All in collaboration with the Kirby Institute.
- Sharing WISDOM in partnership with the University of Melbourne.
- Perinatal Mental Health Research in partnership with Monash university and funded by the Women’s Health Research Translation & Impact Network (WHRTN).
Read our updates Research and Advocacy Statement to learn more about our approach to research and key challenges that can arise for researchers in this field.
Please note, at this time we are unable to support or promote research projects in an unpaid capacity.
If you are interested in working or collaborating with MCWH in a funded research capacity please email rap@mcwh.com.au
Our approach to research
MCWH fosters an ethical and collaborative research culture that aims to achieve transformative change in immigrant and refugee women’s lives. Our approach to research:
- acknowledges and respects women’s experiences, values and knowledge;
- values and creates opportunities to draw on women’s knowledge and wisdom;
- promotes participatory processes;
- respects and acknowledges the cultural distinctiveness of, and inter-cultural differences between, immigrant and refugee communities; and
- fosters ethical and respectful relationships that affirm immigrant and refugee women’s right to have different values, norms and aspirations.
Our approach to immigrant women’s leadership in research
We regularly consult and work with immigrant and refugee women during the research process to ensure that:
- the research is both culturally appropriate and relevant;
- opportunities are provided whenever possible to develop immigrant women’s trust, agency and ownership over the research process;
- the research impacts and outcomes will be meaningful for women;
- respect for the dignity and wellbeing of participants takes precedence over the expected benefits to knowledge; and
- immigrant and refugee women will ultimately benefit from, and not be disadvantaged by, the research.
Our bilingual health education team plays a central role in working with women as peers and co-researchers in the collection and evaluation of data, and not as dispassionate researchers who are doing research about them.