Volunteers
Marita Bolic
Marita Bolic is a fifth-year undergraduate medical student at James Cook University in Cairns, Queensland. She is passionate about equitable health access, and the intersection of politics and healthcare in achieving positive health outcomes for all Australians.
With the support of an ACT Health Vacation Scholarship, Marita undertook her first research project in paediatric emergency medicine in 2022 under the supervision of Dr Jamie Lew and Prof Drew Richardson. She presented the findings of this research at the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM)’s Annual Scientific Meeting in 2023, being honoured with the PREDICT Prize for the best paper that addresses an important topic in paediatric emergency medicine. She has continued this interest in research with the Australian Medical Student Association’s Medical Education division.
Throughout her time in medical school, Marita has developed a growing passion for reproductive health. She is interested in understanding patient attitudes towards the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), particularly intrauterine devices (IUDs). With the support of Dr Talat Uppal, she is researching barriers and enablers to IUD insertion in Australia, a management option for heavy menstrual bleeding. She looks forward to contributing to reproductive health research through this project.
Alexandra McHarg
Alexandra is a Senior Resident Medical Officer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology based in Sydney. She is passionate about women’s health, particularly the impact that disorders of menstrual bleeding have on women and girls and breaking down taboos to empower women to speak up and seek help. Alexandra is currently volunteering with Bleed Better through her role as a UNAA Volunteer. She is working on generating content to engage the community and promote the inaugural International Heavy Menstrual Bleeding Day and producing educational resources to increase menstrual health literacy with a focus on adolescents.
Paula Bradbrook
Lily Tisano
With over 25 years of corporate leadership experience, Paula Bradbrook has dedicated her career to fostering change, driving strategic initiatives, and mentoring female talent. Inspired by her personal journey with heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and surgical menopause, Paula transitioned her skills into the women’s health space, becoming a leader in advancing education, equity, self-advocacy and systemic change.
Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Paula co-founded Her Health Hero, empowering young women through vital health education, and founded Your Menopause Doula, offering compassionate, evidence-based education and support to women and their loved ones. She also serves as a Board Member and Community Liaison for Bleed Better, contributing to its mission of enhancing clinical experiences for HMB and women’s health.
Through her workplace consultancy, Recalibrating, Paula partners with organisations to create inclusive environments that prioritise women’s well-being. Her unique blend of professional expertise, lived experience, and advocacy enables her to connect with empathy and purpose—driving impactful advancements for women worldwide.
Ayushi Upadhyay
Ayushi Upadhyay is a multidisciplinary professional with over seven years of experience spanning client engagement, stakeholder management, community building and operations across corporate and not-for-profit environments.
She holds a Master of Management from the University of Technology Sydney, with a focus on social impact, corporate strategy and human resource development. Her academic and professional experiences have shaped a strong interest in social impact, women’s health and the ways individuals understand and navigate their health experiences.
As a volunteer with Bleed Better, Ayushi is particularly interested in menstrual health literacy and its role in empowering individuals to better understand, articulate and respond to their experiences. She brings a people-centred perspective to her work, grounded in listening to lived experiences, building meaningful connections and identifying practical ways to improve systems and support communities.
Dr Ramya Raman
Dr Ramya Raman is a Specialist General Practitioner, practice owner, medical educator, academic, and experienced board director with a particular interest in women's and children's health.
Dr Ramya treats patients with heavy menstrual bleeding and is a big advocate for this underrecognised condition.
Lily Tisano is a beauty and social media content creator with a growing passion for reproductive health advocacy and raising awareness about endometriosis. Through her platforms, Lily combines her interest in beauty and lifestyle content with her personal experiences to create honest, relatable conversations around women’s health and the realities of living with endometriosis.
Having experienced endometriosis firsthand, Lily is passionate about using her voice and social media presence to help break the stigma surrounding women’s health and encourage greater awareness, understanding and open conversations about conditions that are often misunderstood or overlooked. She believes that social media can be a powerful tool for education, advocacy and creating supportive communities, particularly for young people navigating their own health experiences.
Lily’s struggles in women’s health has also led her to connect with Dr Talat Uppal, whom she greatly admires for her work and support within this area. Through this connection, Lily hopes to continue learning about endometriosis and reproductive health while using her platform to amplify important conversations and advocate for greater awareness and understanding. She is passionate about bridging the gap between healthcare, lived experience and social media, ensuring that conversations surrounding women’s health are accessible, authentic and heard.
Are you interested in volunteering?
Please email us at admin@womenshealthroad.com.au for more information.
Letters of Support
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Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
Dr Gillian Gibson - President
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Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
Catherine Back - Manager, Specfiic Interests Faculty
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Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA)
Dr Debra Graves OAM - Chief Executive Officer
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The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR)
Dr Rajiv Rattan - FRC Dean
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Hologic Australia and New Zealand
Paul Braico - Vice-President and General Manager
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Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM)
Alison Deslandes - ASUM President
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Bayer Australia and New Zealand
Andrew Weekes - Country Medical Director
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Dr Sophie Scamps MP
Inependent Member for Mackellar
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Australasian Menopause Society (AMS)
Vicki Doherty - Executive Director
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Monash HER Centre Australia
Professor Jayashri Kulkarni - Director
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![Melina Georgousakis - Founding Director]()
Franklin Women
Melina Georgousakis - Founding Director
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Australian Women and Girl's Health Research Centre
Professor Gita Mishra - Director
