Dr Rebecca Goldstein wins Premier’s Award for Health Services Researcher

We’re proud to share that Dr Rebecca Goldstein has been awarded the Premier’s Award for Health Services Researcher.

Dr Goldstein is a consultant endocrinologist at Monash Health and a research fellow at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI), part of the Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences faculty at Monash University.

The recognition, part of the 2021 Premier’s Awards for Health and Medical Research, was awarded to Dr Goldstein for her research into the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while pregnant.

“I am honoured to receive this award and am very grateful for the wonderful support, leadership and vision from my supervisor Professor Helena Teede and the team at MCHRI,” said Dr Goldstein.

Following an analysis of more than a million women across the world, Dr Goldstein’s research found that excess or insufficient weight gain during pregnancy can lead to health risks for the mother and baby, including higher risks of large for gestational age, caesarean delivery or premature birth.

Her research addressed key public health gaps and included the implementation of a multi-disciplinary healthy pregnancy service alongside routine pregnancy care, supporting clinicians helping women to manage their weight during pregnancy.

Dr Goldstein said that the findings have supported the case to fund international projects to deliver healthy pregnancy programs internationally.

“When we implement healthy pregnancy programs, we see that women and clinical staff in the service have high engagement, satisfaction and confidence,” said Dr Goldstein.

“We’re continuing to monitor and analyse the outcomes for mothers and their babies, and I am looking forward to integrating my clinical work with ongoing research in targeting high-risk pregnancies and diabetes in pregnancy.”

Dr Goldstein was named as an award winner at a ceremony on Monday 4 April.

The Premier’s Awards, established in 1995 by the Victorian Government in partnership with the Australian Society for Medical Research, recognise the exceptional contributions and capabilities of Victoria’s early-career health and medical researchers.