It’s not everyday that PhD research takes you from your Sydney office to a birthing suite in Ethiopia, but that’s exactly what has happened for Associate Professor Marjan Khajehei.
For her excellence in supervising two PhD students from the east African country, Marjan been awarded the UNSW Engagement Award for Research which recognises individuals ‘who have made outstanding contributions to community and industry engagement.’
“This recognition reaffirms my commitment to bridging academia with real-world impact—ensuring that research, education, and clinical practice work hand in hand to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes,” Marjan said.
The first study that Marjan supervises, ‘Quality and determinants of antenatal care in Ethiopia: a mixed method study’, looks at the association between perinatal morbidities and mortalities and the quality of care at a national level.
The second study, ‘Treatment Outcomes and Determinants of Obstetric Fistula in Ethiopia: A Mixed-Method – Longitudinal Cohort Study,’ aims to eradicate obstetric fistula, an injury caused in childbirth which can be prevented with improved practices.
“My leadership at Western Sydney Local Health District provides a bridge between academic research and frontline maternity care, enabling bidirectional knowledge translation—where research informs practice and clinical experiences shape research priorities.”
Assoc Prof. Marjan says the award will highlight research outcomes from these studies and provide insight which will benefit the local community.
“While the healthcare system in Australia is more developed compared to Ethiopia, gaps still exist, particularly among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and socially disadvantaged groups.”
Grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with diverse communities, Marjan is reflective and appreciative of each contributor to this research.
“Meaningful engagement with communities, industry partners, and healthcare professionals is at the heart of my work, and I am grateful for the collaborations that have made this achievement possible.”
Read the various publications that have emerged from these studies:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13690-024-01464-5
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0313527
https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijgo.15724
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0300750
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0303020
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20503121221130903
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256176