The Haematology in Obstetrics & Women’s Health (HOW) Collaborative was established in 2016, when a multidisciplinary group of health care professionals involved in women’s health convened and decided an interest group would make a difference to our patients through collaboration in research, education and advocacy.
The How Collaborative Vision and Strategy was developed.
Left to right: Dr Renee Eslick, Dr Antonia Shand, Dr Jennifer Curnow, Dr Quintin Hughes, Dr Helen Crowther, Dr Yvonne Brennan, Dr Claire McLintock, Dr Leo Pasilic, Dr Justine Wright, Ms Susan Heath, Dr Eileen Merriman, Dr Lara Young, Dr Briony Cutts, Dr Penelope Motum, Dr Giselle Kidson-Gerber, Dr Shannon Emmett. Absent from photo: Dr Amanda Henry.
Activities
Since its establishment, the HOW Collaborative has hosted Education Symposia in 2017, 2019 and 2023 and has embedded sessions in the annual Haematology and Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand annual scientific meetings. Consistent with the goal to optimise health outcomes for patients with haematological disorders associated with obstetrics and women’s health issues, with the pillars of Educate, Investigate, Disseminate, Advocate and Standardise, the HOW Collaborative has hosted Education Symposia in 2017, 2019 and 2023. The HOW Collaborative has embedded presentation sessions in the annual scientific meetings of Blood (annual ANZ Haematology meeting) and the Society of Obstetric Medicine of Australia and New Zealand.
Research initiatives were developed at the Research Education Day in 2019. Refer to Research for further details on some of the published research, Position Papers and Guidelines. In 2022, Dr Julie Lee was the inaugural recipient of the HSANZ-HOW Collaborative Fellowship.
In 2023, the HOW Collaborative was registered as a public company limited by guarantee, which was later registered by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status.
Current Directors
A/Prof Giselle Kidson-Gerber works as a Haematologist on the Randwick Campus, Sydney, incorporating Prince of Wales Hospital, Royal Hospital for Women and NSW Health Pathology; where she is head of Clinical Haematology and she works closely with obstetricians & midwives, genetics and laboratory staff on clinical and laboratory issues. She is a conjoint associate professor with UNSW. She is passionate about improving outcomes in all patients and especially related to pregnancy and women’s health. Her research focus includes the management of haematological malignancies and haemoglobinopathies in pregnancy; oncofertility, thromboprophyaxis in pregnancy, anaemia and iron deficiency in pregnancy, and the intersection of laboratory haematology and pregnancy.
Dr Renee Eslick is a Clinical and Laboratory Haematologist at Canberra Health Services, and completed a subspecialist fellowship in Obstetric Medicine. She is the Chair of the Early Career Committee for the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) and an ex-officio member of ISTH Council. She will lead the Women’s Health Theme Committee for ISTH Congress in 2027. She was the lead author of the HOW Collaborative Position Paper on the Management of Thrombocytopenia in Pregnancy. She is the Australian lead for the PARTUM trial which evaluates the role of aspirin for postpartum thromboprophylaxis. She has a passion for medical education and is a former Director of Physician Education at Liverpool and Canberra Hospital.
Dr Lisa Clarke is a Clinical and Laboratory Haematologist working at Sydney Adventist and Hornsby Kuring-Gai Hospitals, Laverty Pathology and the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. She has completed a Masters of Clinical Epidemiology and is a member of the Clinical Transfusion Committee within ANZSBT. Lisa has been published in the areas of Iron deficiency, Inherited bleeding disorders and Obstetric patient blood management. She is passionate about improving the health outcomes of all patients and in particular women through direct care, broader advocacy and clinical education.
Dr Briony Cutts is a consultant haematologist at the Royal Women’s Hospital and Head of Obstetric Medicine at Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital, Melbourne. She is passionate about providing best care to women with bleeding and clotting disorders. She is a founding director of the HOW collaborative and a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne. She has a research interest in venous thromboembolism, bleeding disorders and anaemia in women’s health, has co-authored national guidelines on these topics and teaches haematology to trainees in haematology, obstetrics and gynaecology, nursing staff and midwives.
Current Working Group Leads
Engagement
• Dr Sara Ng
• Dr Danny Hsu
• Dr Renee Eslick
Research/ Guidelines (development and implementation)
• A/Prof Jenny Curnow
• A/Prof Giselle Kidson-Gerber
• Ms Sue Heath
• Dr Georgia Mills
• Dr Anastazia Keegan
Education (development and logistics)
• Dr Caroline Wilson
• Dr Briony Cutts
• Dr Lisa Clarke