Here are some of our key milestones and achievements since we first opened our doors:
28 May 1992
Mrs Hazel Hawke officially opens the Jean Hailes Menopause Foundation in Clayton, Victoria – a clinic dedicated to women's health at midlife and menopause, named in honour of the late Melbourne GP, Dr Jean Hailes AM.
1993
The Jean Hailes Education Unit is established. Its purpose – to translate the latest scientific evidence and medical knowledge into practical, accessible advice for women and their health practitioners.
1994
The Jean Hailes Research Unit, under the direction of Professor Susan Davis, begins original research projects to identify and address gaps in knowledge about women's health. Research results are used to inform women's health policy, support health care programs and improve women's lives.
1997
The first major international journal article from Jean Hailes is published – a comparative study of treatments for high cholesterol levels in postmenopausal women.
Federal Health and Family Services Minister, the Hon. Dr Michael Wooldridge MP, announces a $1.5 million three-year grant to Jean Hailes to develop a national menopause education program.
1998
Jean Hailes begins delivering 'Menopause into the Millennium', a one-day training course for GPs.
1999
Jean Hailes launches its national community and professional education program, based on its 'Menopause into the Millennium' training program.
2000
Federal Health and Family Services Minister, the Hon. Dr Michael Wooldridge MP, launches two Jean Hailes publications developed in conjunction with women from Western Australia's Mowanjum community – Women's Business and You Gotta Look After Yourself.
2001
Jean Hailes publishes its first national education magazine, known today as the Jean Hailes Magazine. The first issue features articles on osteoporosis, oestrogen therapy and premature menopause.
2002
Jean Hailes develops a Rural and Remote Midlife Health Resource Kit. Featuring fact sheets, handouts, video and an interactive CD, it helps health professionals in isolated communities to deliver information to women at midlife.
2005
The Jean Hailes Research Unit is established within Monash University. Professor Helena Teede becomes the first Jean Hailes Professor of Women's Health at Monash.
2006
Jean Hailes launches a suite of websites to make it easier for women to find health information relevant to their stage of life and health condition.
2008
Jean Hailes presents its first interactive webcast, Life Begins at Menopause. Almost 2000 women from all over Australia take part in the webcast event, featuring Jean Hailes experts including gynaecologist and Jean Hailes medical director Dr Elizabeth Farrell AM, psychologist Dr Mandy Deeks and naturopath Sandra Villella discussing menopause symptoms and lifestyle and treatment options.
2010
The Jean Hailes Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) service is launched, a new interdisciplinary model of care for women with PCOS.
Jean Hailes runs its second successful interactive live webcast event, Making Your 40s Fabulous, featuring sex therapist Dr Rosie King and Jean Hailes medical director and gynaecologist Dr Elizabeth Farrell.
The Jean Hailes Research Unit publishes the results of a Jean Hailes trial – the HeLP-HER study – in the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ), showing how a simple, low-intensity, community-based lifestyle program can be used to prevent weight gain in new mothers.
2011
29 August: the Evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome is launched in Perth. It is the culmination of two years’ work from the PCOS Australian Alliance in collaboration with Jean Hailes
Professor Jane Fisher is appointed as the new Jean Hailes Professor of Women's Mental Health and Deputy Director of the Jean Hailes Research Unit.
2012
March: the Victorian Government recognises the contribution of Dr Jean Hailes by adding her name posthumously to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women. "Dr Jean Hailes was a visionary GP who understood that you need both physical and emotional health in order to stay well and to prevent ill health. Her legacy lives on in the clinical care, innovative research and practical education programs undertaken by Jean Hailes for Women's Health today."
Professor Jane Fisher takes over from Professor Helena Teede as director of the Jean Hailes Research Unit.
Professor Jane Fisher begins to join journalist and radio presenter Rafael Epstein in a weekly segment on ABC 774 called ‘Life and Other Catastrophes’. The segment continues to this day.
2013
Jean Hailes director and daughter of Jean Hailes, Janet Michelmore AO, is inducted into the 2013 Victorian Honour Roll of Women in recognition of her role as a passionate educator and advocate for improving women's health.
Jean Hailes launches a new booklet, ‘Yarning about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome’. It is a first-of-its-kind resource for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. A new online health information hub for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers is also launched.
September: Jean Hailes presents its inaugural Women's Health Week. More than 6000 people register to take part in online activities, with many more participating in over 200 community events. It has now become a major annual national event.
Jean Hailes’ new anxiety support website for women, Anxiety, Learn, Think, Do is launched by the Honourable Senator Michaelia Cash.
2014
29 April: new Jean Hailes website launched, unifying the previous nine-site suite of websites under the one Jean Hailes banner: jeanhailes.org.au.
With grant support from the Collie Foundation, Jean Hailes creates ‘How to Look After You’, a series of multilingual brochures for women in English, Arabic, Dari, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Tamil and Vietnamese.
Jean Hailes conducts a three-year research project into better understanding and meeting the unique health information needs of migrant groups (also with Collie Foundation support).
2015
Jean Hailes launches a webinar library for health professionals and starts delivering Active Learning Modules to aid health professionals' continuing professional development in women’s healthcare.
Jean Hailes opens a second clinic, in East Melbourne. In partnership with Epworth Freemasons, it is called Jean Hailes at Epworth Freemasons.
For the first time, Jean Hailes conducts a national women's health survey, asking women and health professionals across Australia about their health concerns and information needs. More than 3300 people complete the online survey, offering unique insights into women across the nation, and is the first of its kind in Australia. It has been conducted annually since.
2016
Research published in BMJ Open finds Jean Hailes' new parents program, ‘What Were We Thinking!’, reduces postnatal mental health problems by up to two-thirds.
Victorian Minister for Health, Jill Hennessy, announces $100,000 of funding for Jean Hailes to develop new endometriosis tools and resources for women and health professionals.
Jean Hailes releases an animation to help women of all ages and cultures understand what happens in their body during a menstrual cycle.
Jean Hailes YouTube channel launched
2017
Jean Hailes celebrates its 25th anniversary with a reception at Government House hosted by the Governor of Victoria, the Honourable Linda Dessau AC. From a six-room clinic in Clayton, Jean Hailes has grown to become a national organisation across four Melbourne sites and sees more than 14,000 patients a year.
In a first for both organisations, Jean Hailes for Women’s Health joins the ‘Heart Truck’ on the road in south-west Queensland to connect with women in remote communities in the lead-up to Women’s Health Week.
2018
Jean Hailes establishes a national program of postdoctoral travel fellowships, supporting research into women’s health at up to 15 university, research institute and hospital departments per year.
An endometriosis awareness campaign is created and launched. Called Endowise, the hugely successful campaign features eight short videos in which nine women – including a mother and daughter – tell their own journeys of living with endometriosis.
2019
Jean Hailes convenes a series of five Women’s Health Policy Alliance forums, to bring together key players from the women’s health sector to create responses to priorities identified in the National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-2030. The forums are a precursor to the inaugural Jean Hailes Women’s Health Symposium.
The inaugural Jean Hailes Women’s Health Symposium is held in Canberra in October, bringing together more than 100 women’s health professionals from all over Australia. On the second and final day of the symposium, Federal Health Minister the Hon Greg Hunt launches the results of the fifth annual National Women’s Health Survey, which had been completed by almost 10,000 women.
The Victorian Government launches a major suite of new endometriosis and menopause resources created by Jean Hailes for Women’s Health. The range of booklets, fact sheets and videos includes a 48-page book on menopause, a 40-page book on early and premature menopause, a new endometriosis booklet and fact sheets for partners/loved ones.
Jean Hailes partners with Ethnolink to create multilingual fact sheets on endometriosis and menopause for women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Women’s Health Week continues to grow into a major event on the annual calendar. For the seventh annual Women’s Health Week, more than 2800 events are held all over Australia, with more than 112,000 people taking part.
2020
In 2020, our Women's Health Week key message encouraged women to check in on their health and make sure they were not missing important health checks and screenings due to COVID-19.
Even in the face of the impact of COVID-19, we again had a very successful campaign, achieving a 19% increase overall in reach, participation and engagement. More than 91,000 women attended 1437 events around Australia.
Our sixth annual national Women’s Health Survey revealed the health needs and behaviours of women living in Australia, as they shared their experiences of the past 12 months. The Federal Health Minister the Hon. Greg Hunt MP described the findings as “sobering and powerful”.