Menopause: Insights and beyond

MBChB BSc (hons) PGDipOMG
Honorary Lecturer at the University of Auckland
Adjunct Research Associate at the University of Monash

​Sam qualified from Bristol University Medical School in 2010, starting clinical training in North-west London, and subsequently started Obstetrics and Gynaecology Specialist Training. Moved to New Zealand in 2013 and has been working as a GP since 2015 becoming a Fellow of the RNZGP College. Sam established FemaleGP in 2016 to improve access to focused healthcare for women.

​In 2020-2021 Sam was the Clinic Lead of a GP-led prolapse and incontinence clinic at Hawkes Bay Hospital.  She works as a Forensic Medical Examiner for sexual assault, and in General Practice at a local family practice.

It has always been Sam's ambition to focus on women's health and run a specialist clinic. She regularly meets with specialist healthcare providers in women's health, particularly menopause and reproductive hormone medicine, from all over the world to ensure she delivers quality healthcare.

Janice is an experienced Māori senior leader (i.e. Office of the Ombudsman, Regional Public Health, Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children, Human Rights Commission) who has been providing coaching and professional supervision to public sector practitioners and managers for over 20 years.  She is passionate about supporting wāhine as they navigate their way through an increasing complex and everchanging public sector environment and is mindful in her coaching of the impact that menopause can have for some women on their workplace performance.  Her qualifications include a Master of Public Management, NZIM Certificate in Management, Understanding Unconscious Bias, and Team Leader capability.  

Janice will highlight the importance of storytelling in health, and particularly when we engage with our indigenous communities.  She will highlight how through cultural safety we can all improve our practice and journey with our patients.

Board of Directors, Australasian Menopause Society

Special interest in women's health, including menopause management ( currently Australasian menopause society NZ rep director) and certified LARC trainer.

Louise is a General Practice Educator and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland.

Louise has worked in general practice for many years. She enjoys all aspects of general practice and has postgraduate diplomas/ certificates in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Nutritional and Environmental medicine.

Helen is a Consultant at the ADHB Contraception/Menopause clinic, a First Certifying Consultant at the Epsom Day Unit, an Honorary Associate Professor of Women’s Health at the University of Auckland, and a Pipelle/Jadelle/IUD insertion trainer.

After Helen's medical degree at Trinity College Dublin, she worked at the Rotunda Hospital and then King’s College Hospital in London before coming to New Zealand and joined Family Planning, becoming the Medical Director and National Medical Spokesperson from 1988-1992. In 1991 Helen completed the MPH at Yale University in New Haven before taking up an academic position in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Auckland. Helen was Associate Professor of Women’s Health until retirement at the end of 2017. At present, she continues her contraception and menopause clinic at Greenlane Clinical Centre and works as a certifying consultant at Epsom Day Unit.

Assoc Prof Roberts provides expert commentary for the Women's Health issue of Sexual Health Research Review.

MBBS, Dip Obs, FRANZCOG

Olivia is a specialist gynaecologist based in Christchurch New Zealand. She obtained her medical degree from University College London and undertook post graduate studies at Imperial College before relocating to New Zealand to complete her fellowship training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2005.

MSC, PHD

Stacy is a forward-thinking international exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who aims to revolutionize exercise nutrition and performance for women. She has directed research programs at Stanford, AUT University, and the University of Waikato, focusing on female athlete health and performance and pushing the dogma to improve research on all women.

Her contributions to the international research environment and the sports nutrition industry has established a new niche in sports nutrition; and established her reputation as the expert in sex differences in training, nutrition, and health. This paradigm shift is the focus of her famous "Women Are Not Small Men” TEDx talk.

Nicky Pellegrino is an award-winning journalist, writing about health, science and lifestyle topics for a number of publications and has a regular health column in the NZ Listener magazine. Her non-fiction title about menopause Don’t Sweat It: How to Make ‘The Change’ a Good One was a bestseller. She is also the author of 15 bestselling novels, including Marry Me in Italy, Tiny Pieces Of Us and To Italy, With Love. Her stories have readers around the world and have been translated into over 12 languages. Raised in the UK, she now lives in Auckland, New Zealand with a husband, an adopted greyhound and a lot of books.

Dr Kate Rassie is a consultant endocrinologist at Monash Health and at Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, Melbourne. She is also a PhD candidate at Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Monash University.

Kate completed her undergraduate medical training at the University of Auckland, and her physician and core endocrinology training in Auckland, before moving to Melbourne for fellowship and post-graduate studies in 2020.

Her particular areas of clinical and research interest are women’s health, female reproductive and menstrual disorders, endocrinology in pregnancy and lactation, menopause and MHT, obesity and weight management, and all areas of diabetes (including general, T1DM, pre-conceptual diabetes management, and diabetes in pregnancy).