Prof Angela Taft

BA, Dip Ed, MPH, PhD

Angela Taft is Professor and former Director of the Judith Lumley Centre of mother, infant and family health research (JLC), La Trobe University, Australia. She is a social scientist using rigorous combinations of qualitative and epidemiological methods to answer urgent and complex questions about women’s health.

For many years, Angela has led a major competitively funded program of research at JLC on intimate partner/ gender-based violence. This has included analysing the health impact of partner violence 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.

Angela conducts studies to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions, including highlighting the role of partner abuse and reproductive coercion. She has also focussed on emergency contraception, long-acting reversible contraception and medical abortion options for women whose contraception fails. Angela is a Chief Investigator of the Monash led CRE SPHERE on sexual and reproductive health in primary health care

Angela's research interests include intimate partner violence, planned parenthood and reproductive rights, and cultural diversity and violence, including in Timor Leste.