Jean Hailes for Women's Health is a national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving women’s knowledge and understanding of complex health issues. Our aim is to translate the latest scientific and medical evidence to help inspire positive change in women and girls by improving their physical health and wellbeing.
Jean Hailes has a unique model, combining medical centres, research and a department that translates the latest health findings into practical, accessible information on our website, through resources, educational programs and health professional events.
Jean Hailes only produces trusted evidence-based information reviewed by our in-house team of clinicians.
In 2016, the Australian Government formally announced Jean Hailes as the national digital gateway for women’s health and wellbeing.
Founded in 1992 in honour of an extraordinary medical practitioner, Dr Jean Hailes, Jean Hailes for Women's Health reflects the enduring legacy that she made to women's health. Jean had a far-sighted vision to improve the quality of women's lives and give them practical information based on the best available evidence. She is credited with being the pioneer of menopause management in Australia.
We believe in physical and emotional health and wellbeing in all its dimensions for all women in Australia throughout their lives.
Jean Hailes recognises that women and men have different biology and experience different health issues (both physically and mentally) throughout their lives.
In the past, many women’s issues were simply not discussed. Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or menopause were told to 'put up with it'. Historically also, most research was conducted on males and it was often assumed that what worked for men, would work the same way for women.
Now we know that not only do women respond differently to the same treatments given to men, they can even have different symptoms of the same illness and disease. There are also many diseases and conditions that specifically affect women, such as cancer of the uterus or ovaries, pregnancy, endometriosis and menopause. These require specific research, evidence and effective translation into easy to understand information and resources.
Jean Hailes for Women's Health focuses on the issues that affect women at various stages of their lives, taking into account the diversity of women, their background, culture, where they live and what services they have access to. Jean Hailes takes a broad and inclusive approach to the topic of women’s health, and represents all women, girls and gender-diverse people.