Susan Saldanha, PhD (candidate)
Monash University (Australia)
I'm Susan Saldanha, a final-year PhD candidate at Monash University’s Department of General Practice. My work focuses on reproductive coercion, a gender-based form of family violence, how it presents in primary care settings, and how general practitioners and practice nurses can better identify and support victim-survivors. Alongside my PhD, I work as a Research Officer at a community legal centre, looking at how lawyers can better respond to reproductive coercion. This interdisciplinary approach allows me to understand how both healthcare and legal systems can work together to support those experiencing coercion. At its core, my research is about reproductive autonomy—ensuring people have control over their own reproductive decisions, free from coercion or systemic barriers. When I'm not buried in research, you'll probably find me dancing, watching psychological thrillers, or lost in a good romance novel that keeps me up way too late.
