Events

The Judith Lumley Centre holds open lunchtime research seminars on the first Wednesday of every month from February to December usually from 12.30-1.30pm and also out of session seminars.


Professor Angela Taft photo

Angela Taft Festschrift and Retirement celebration

This week we are formally farewelling Professor Angela Taft and recognising her contributions to La Trobe as she enters retirement.

Angela commenced employment at La Trobe 21 years ago. Angela has inspired us through her pioneering work in preventing and responding to Violence against Women (VAW) and promoting women’s sexual and reproductive health.

Across her career, Angela has been a strong advocate for women’s health and human rights. She co-established the La Trobe Violence Against Women Network (LAVAWN) – a unique network that brings together scholars from across the university to share information and find new and better ways to prevent harm to women.

Angela was Deputy Director of the Judith Lumley Centre in 2011 and Director from 2014-2017. During this time, she and Professor Rhonda Small negotiated the Roberta Holmes donation to establish the parenting research program within JLC.

Angela’s research has been funded by NHMRC, ARC, state and federal governments and she has been a Chief Investigator for two NHMRC Centres for Research Excellence.

Angela’s work has been recognised internationally, with her early intervention trial to improve the safety and wellbeing of mothers experiencing intimate partner violence replicated in the USA and Peru. The World Health Organisation has sought her expertise on interventions in primary healthcare settings and she has been funded by United Nations Family Planning Association to develop a curriculum for health care professionals in Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea to reduce VAW.

Angela’s most recent trial, HARMONY, was highly commended by the Victorian Multicultural Commission in 2021. She has been awarded the Champion for Women (Women’s Health Victoria 25th anniversary), Public Health Fellow (Public Health Association of Australia), and NNVAWI Excellence in Policy and Practice (Nursing Network on Violence Against Women International).

Angela officially retired in June 2022. Despite this, she is continuing to support La Trobe’s research in preventing VAW and sexual and reproductive health, by continuing to advise and mentor her PhD students and JLC colleagues. Her life’s work is being celebrated with a Festschrift and Farewell event on Wednesday 5th October at 4pm in the AgriBio Building.


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