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The Faculty
The University
 
 
 
Dr Angela Taft
BA, Dip Ed (Melbourne), MPH (Monash), PhD (ANU)

Associate Professor

 
Email: a.taft@latrobe.edu.au
Telephone: 03 8341 8571
 

Angela Taft is a Principal Research Fellow/Associate Professor at MCHR and has been with the centre since 1999. She is also an Honorary Senior Fellow in the Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne and the National Convenor of the Women’s Health SIG of the Public Health Association of Australia. She is a social scientist with a strong interest in rigorous combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to answer complex questions about women’s health.

Over the last ten years she has led a major competitively funded program of research at MCHR on intimate partner/gender-based violence. This has included analysing the health impact of IPV over time in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health, Cochrane systematic reviews and randomised trials of IPV interventions in general practice and maternal and child health nursing. She is strongly interested in preventing gender based violence and prevention of unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.

 
MAJOR RESEARCH INTERESTS

Intimate partner violence; Health impact of, and health system responses to violence against women and children; sexual and reproductive health; cultural diversity and violence.

 
CURRENT PROJECTS
 
MOSAIC (MOtherS’ Advocates In the Community) a cluster randomised trial of mentor mother support
Team: Angela Taft, Rhonda Small, Kelsey Hegarty, Judith Lumley, Lisa Gold
Funding: NHMRC; Victorian Community Support Grant Fund; VicHealth; LTU Faculty of Health Sciences; beyondblue; (pilot)Telstra Foundation; Federal Department of Family and Community Services
Status: Study completed, protocol and outcomes published, analysis continuing
 
A study of the provision of the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) over-the-counter (OTC) in Australia
Team: Taft, Kay Stewart, Julia Shelley, Anthony Smith; Judith Lumley, Colin Chapman, Lisa Amir, Melissa Hobbs, Safeera Husseiny
Funding: ARC Linkage Grant
Status: Three articles and a letter published. Australian pharmacy protocol for ECP being revised
 
Improving maternal and child health care for women experiencing violence: collaborative development, implementation and effectiveness of a good practice model (MOVE project)
Team: Angela Taft, Rhonda Small, Cathy Humphreys, Kelsey Hegarty, Judith Lumley
Funding: ARC Linkage Grant
Status: Intervention complete, data collection underway
 
Women’s Evaluation of Abuse and Violence care in general practice: A randomised controlled trial (WEAVE project)
Team: Kelsey Hegarty, Jane Gunn, Angela Taft, Gene Feder, Jill Astbury, Stephanie Brown
Funding: NHMRC
Status: Ongoing: protocol and model of brief intervention published
 

Cochrane systematic review: Screening women for intimate partner violence in health care settings

Team:

Taft AJ, Hegarty K, Ramsay J, Feder G, Carter YH, Davidson LL, Warburton A

Funding: None
Status: Protocol published, Review data analysis underway
 

Experiences and consequences of violence among the Younger Cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health

Team:

Angela Taft and Lyn Watson

Funding: VicHealth
Status: Ongoing. Four papers published.
 
PUBLICATIONS (Selected)
 
Peer-reviewed journals
 

Taft AJ, Hobbs MK, Hussainy S, Amir L, Stewart K, Shelley J, Smith AMA, Chapman C. Unintended pregnancy in Australia: what more can we do? Med J Aust 2011 195(4):166-7

Hussainy SY, Stewart K, Chapman C, Taft A, Amir L, Hobbs M, Shelley JH, Smith AMA. Provision of the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) without prescription: attitudes and practices of pharmacists in Australia Contraception 2011; 83(2): 159-166

Hobbs M, Taft A, Amir L, Stewart K, Shelley J, Smith AMA, Chapman C, Hussainy S. The emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) rescheduled: a national survey of a random sample of Australian women. Contraception 2011;83(2): 151-158

Taft AJ, Hegarty KL. Intimate partner violence against women: what outcomes are meaningful? JAMA.2010; 304: 577-579.(Invited editorial)

Hegarty KL, Gunn JM, O'Doherty LJ, Taft AJ, Chondros P, Feder G, Astbury J and Brown S. Women's evaluation of abuse and violence care in general practice: a cluster randomised controlled trial (weave). BMC Public Health 2010, 10:2doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-2

Ramsay J, Carter Y, Davidson L, Dunne D, Eldridge S, Hegarty K, Rivas C, Taft A, Warburton A, Feder G. Advocacy interventions to reduce or eliminate violence and promote the physical and psychosocial well-being of women who experience intimate partner abuse. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD005043. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005043.pub2

Taft AJ, Small R, Hegarty KL, Lumley J, Watson LF, Gold L. MOSAIC (MOthers' Advocates In the Community): protocol and sample description of a cluster randomised trial of mentor mother support to reduce intimate partner violence among pregnant or recent mothers. BMC Public Health 2009, 9:159 doi:10.1186/1471-2458-9-159

Hobbs M, Taft A, Amir L. The emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) rescheduled: a focus group study of women’s knowledge, attitudes and experiences. Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care. 2009 35(2):87-91

2008 Taft A, Small R, Hoang K. Intimate partner violence in Vietnam and among Vietnamese diaspora communities in western societies: a comprehensive review. J Fam Studies 2008;14:167-182.

2008 Hegarty K, Taft A, Feder G. Working with the whole family when domestic violence is present: what do generalists need to know? Brit Med J. (BMJ 2008;337:a839, doi: 10.1136/bmj.a839 (Published 4 August 2008)

2008 Taft A, Watson L. Depression and termination of pregnancy (induced abortion) in a national cohort of young Australian women: the confounding effect of women’s experience of violence. BMC Public Health 2008, 8:75 (26 February 2008)

2008 Taft AJ, Hegarty K, Ramsay J, Feder G, Carter YH, Davidson LL, Warburton A. Screening women for intimate partner violence in health care settings. Cochrane Protocol. The Cochrane Library 2008, Issue 1.

2007  Watson L, Taft A. Associations of reported violence with age at menarche, first intercourse and first birth among a national population sample of young Australian women. Women’s Health Issues. 2007: 17(5); 281-289

2007 Taft A, Watson L Termination of pregnancy: associations with partner violence and other factors in a national cohort of young Australian women. Aust NZ J Public Health, 2007. 31(2): p. 135-142.

2006 Taft A, Hegarty KL, Feder GS. Tackling partner violence in families: new guidelines extend opportunities to respond. Med J Aust 2006:185 (10): 535-536.)

2005 Ramsay J, Feder G, Rivas C, Carter YH, Davidson LL, Hegarty K, Taft A, Warburton A. Advocacy interventions to reduce or eliminate violence and promote the physical and psychosocial well-being of women who experience intimate partner abuse. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: Protocols 2005 Issue 1 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd Chichester, UK DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005043

2004 Taft A, Watson L.  Violence against young Australian women and association with reproductive events: a cross-sectional study. Aust NZ J Pub Health 28(4): 324-9

2004 Taft A, Broom D, Legge DL.  General practitioner management of intimate partner abuse and the whole family: a qualitative study.  BMJ 2004; 328: 618-21

2002 Taft A, Hegarty K. Safe healthcare system needs to be in place Brit Med J 2002;325:1417 ( 14 December )

2001 Taft A, Hegarty K, Flood M. Are men and women equally violent to intimate partners?  Aust NZ J Public Health . Vol 25: 498-500

2001 Taft A. To screen or not to screen? Is this the right question: Quality care intervention and women’s agency in health care responses to partner violence and abuse. Women Against Violence Issue 10: 41-46

2001 Hegarty K, Taft A. Overcoming the barriers to disclosure and inquiry of partner abuse for women attending general practice. Aust NZ J Public Health. Vol 25: 433-7

Book chapters

2006  Taft A, Shakespeare J. Managing the whole family when women are abused by intimate partners: challenges for health professionals. In Roberts G, Hegarty K, Feder G (Eds) Intimate Partner Abuse and Health Professionals. Elsevier Press. pp145-162.

2006  Warshaw C, Taft A, McCosker H. Educating health professionals: changing attitudes and overcoming barriers. In Roberts G, Hegarty K, Feder G (Eds) Intimate Partner Abuse and Health Professionals. Elsevier Press. pp61-77

Reports

Taft A. Promoting women’s mental health: the challenge of intimate partner/domestic violence. Issues Paper No. 8. Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, University of New South Wales. 24pp http://www.austdvclearinghouse.unsw.edu.au/PDF%20files/Issues_Paper_8.pdf

Taft A. Violence in pregnancy and after childbirth. Issues Paper No. 6. Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, University of New South Wales, 24pp. http://www.austdvclearinghouse.unsw.edu.au/PDF%20files/Issuespaper6.pdf

Taft AJ, Toomey L (2005). VicHealth Review of Links Between and Interventions to Reduce Alcohol-Related Interpersonal Violence: an evidence-based comprehensive literature review. Melbourne Australia, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth).

 
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Content Approved by: Director, Mother and Child Health Research
Page maintained by: Administrator
Last Updated: August 23, 2011