EVIDENCE

Dr Felicity Roux

Creator 

“Revolutionary – like just insane” is how a young participant in the 2021 trial described the future impact of My Vital Cycles®. The passion and persistence poured out to develop this program became worth it.

Receiving the Chancellor’s Award in 2024 for its research of an exceptionally high standard was the cherry on the top. For this, Felicity thanks her supervisors, Prof Burns, A/Prof Chih and Dr Hendriks, at Curtin University’s School of Population Health. However, the final recognition of its merits will be its uptake in schools, sports clubs and community groups.

Felicity believes that now is the time of courage to ensure that the next generation has the knowledge, skills and confidence that all women should always have had. 

Professor Sharyn Burns

Main Supervisor

Sharyn is Co-Director of Curtin University’s Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health and Chair of Curtin’s Human Research Ethics Committee. She has expertise in planning, implementing and evaluating health promotion interventions, specifically targeting adolescents, parents and school staff. Her mixed methods research specifically focuses on translational intervention-based research in sexual and mental health, such as the Relationships and Sexuality Education Project. She has a long-term involvement as a reference group member and advisor with the Western Australian’s School Standards and Curriculum Authority. During Felicity's PhD, Sharyn had oversight of My Vital Cycles® overall progress and its ethics' compliance.

Associate Professor HuiJun Chih

Co-investigator

Jun is a biostatistician at the Curtin University’s School of Population Health. Her research area is on the relationship between lifestyle factors and health, both physical and mental. During Felicity's PhD, Jun had oversight of the rigour with which evidence was gathered and published for My Vital Cycles®.

Dr Jacqueline Hendriks

Co-investigator

Jacqui is based at Curtin University’s Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health as the Project Manager for the Relationships and Sexuality Education Project.  She provides training to pre-service and in-service teachers in relationship and sexuality education, and supports schools in this area. During Felicity's PhD, Jacqui had oversight of the alignment of My Vital Cycles® with best practice for relationship and sexuality education programs.

Dr Denise Demmer

Dr Denise Demmer completed her PhD (Medicine) with a focus on epidemiology. Her research interests include curriculum development and competency-based medical education, growth mindset, as well as experiential and reflective learning. For Denise, understanding menstrual cycles is key to optimising health, wellbeing and overall vitality. Further, aligning lifestyle choices with the cycle allows us to enhance overall function, support longevity and foster self-acceptance. Knowledge is empowerment: by deepening an understanding of these processes, we unlock the potential to live in harmony with our bodies and truly thrive.

Kate Roux

Kate is a vibrant young professional with a deep commitment to women's health and well-being. After graduating from UWA with a BBiomedSc this passion inspired her to enrol at Curtin University and work with Felicity and the Research Team. Kate’s research built upon the pioneering work of My Vital Cycles®. She was awarded her BSc (Hons) in Public Health and is now a published author in the field of adolescent menstrual health. Kate’s drive to work closely with women and support them through critical stages of life has led her to enroll in Curtin University's Masters in Midwifery. 

Monique Robertson

Monique is an experienced educator and science communicator with a strong background in public health. She is hoping to pursue a PhD focused on women’s health literacy, aiming to improve health outcomes through education and empowerment. Monique is passionate about inclusive, evidence-based approaches that support lifelong learning and informed health decision-making.