Cathy Vaughan

Associate Professor Cathy Vaughan holds key leadership positions at the University of Melbourne as Head of the Gender and Women's Health Unit and Co-Director for Health Equity within the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. She additionally serves as Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Women's Health hosted by the institution.

Her research critically addresses violence against women with specialized focus on:

• Migrant and refugee women
• Women in faith communities
• Women with disabilities
• Women in the Pacific region

Employing qualitative and participatory methodologies honed over twenty years, she investigates health and wellbeing across diverse Australian, Asian, and Pacific contexts with strong emphasis on ethical research practices and health equity.

Professor Vaughan co-leads the kNOwVAWdata program, which builds global capacity for rigorous violence-against-women research through training and mentoring. Originally Asia-Pacific focused, this initiative recently secured funding for worldwide expansion.

She directs both the Gender and Women's Health Unit and the WHO Collaborating Centre, driving institutional and international advancements in women's health policy and research infrastructure.