Julie Hennegan

Associate Professor Julie Hennegan’s research aims to improve the menstrual and reproductive health of the two billion women and adolescent girls who menstruate around the world. She is a mixed-methods researcher and disciplinary hybrid, blending expertise in social and behavioural science, epidemiology, and the design and evaluation of complex interventions.

Associate Professor Hennegan is a Principal Research Fellow and NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow (2022-2026). She joined the Australian Women and Girls’ Health Research (AWaGHR) Centre in 2025. She leads the Centre’s thematic pillar on Health Equity, and brings expertise in global women’s and adolescent health.

Her research impact has included developing a consensus definition of menstrual health, mid-level theory through the integrated model of menstrual experience and developing core measures used menstrual health research and global monitoring efforts. She leads the Adolescent Menstrual Experiences and Health Cohort (AMEHC) Study in Bangladesh, following 2,000 adolescent girls’ journeys to understand their changing needs and model the effect of menstrual health needs on life outcomes. She also undertakes research to advance monitoring and evaluation for menstrual health interventions across East Africa, East Asia, and the Pacific, along with studies to understand menstrual health needs among diverse groups in Australia and the role of new technologies such as reusable menstrual products.

She holds a DPhil and MSc in Evidence Based Social Intervention from the University of Oxford, following undergraduate training in psychology and social science at the University of Queensland.