Sydney, Monday 4 August 2025
An innovative new program could change the face of health and science in Australia.
“We were thrilled to see the impact that this unique program had on participants in just a few months,” Dr Melina Georgousakis said.
86% of women who took part in the Career YOU program said they were now optimistic about continuing a career in health and medical research.
The unique program delivered by social enterprise Franklin Women, aims to stop the science brain drain in Australia.
“A recent Government report highlighted that while 1 in 2 of the Australian health and medical research workforce are women, this drops to 1 in 4 women in senior roles,” Dr Melina Georgousakis said.
“To address this, we created Career YOU – a program that supports women in health sciences to plan for a successful on-going career. We can’t afford to lose the brilliant minds addressing our greatest health challenges,” she said.
Dr Laura Yeates who took part in the Career YOU pilot said she wasn’t sure about her 5-year career plan after her PhD.
She’s a Senior Research Genetic Counsellor and Research Officer at Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research helping families who lose a family member to sudden cardiac death.
“The Career YOU program helped me embrace the half ideas I had about my future career and provided a framework to help me to turn those into clear and ambitious goals,” she said. “It gave me the tools to consider my strengths and where I want to go with my career and how I can have the greatest impact. This supportive program has completely changed my outlook on my future career”
Dr Laura Yeates is a Senior Research Genetic Counsellor/ Research Officer at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney
Franklin Women is funded by the collective investment of its members and diverse employers across the health and medical research ecosystem.
However, expanding the organisations capacity to design Career YOU was made possible through funding from NSW Health.
Already, more than 80 women are on the waiting list for future Career YOU cohorts, highlighting the demand for career pathway support.
“We have been delighted to have had the support of the NSW Government given the work we do is so aligned with NSW Health’s Research and Innovation strategy,” said Dr Georgousakis.
Dr Yeates says taking part in the program left her inspired to make her mark in science in Australia.
Franklin Women Founder Dr Georgousakis said Career YOU complements their long-standing Mentoring Program, designed for mid-career women, which has seen 50% of participants promoted into senior roles. Career YOU supports women earlier in their careers, strengthening the workforce pipeline.
“Our grassroots approach means our programs have proved extremely successful, and we look forward to continuing to expanding our impact in the future.”
About Franklin Women
Franklin Women is Australia’s only professional community dedicated to supporting the careers of women working across the health and medical research ecosystem.
Learn more and become a member
About Career YOU
Created by Franklin Women in consultation with leading STEMM career coaches, Career YOU is a career development program designed for women working within the healthcare and medical research ecosystem who are in the early to mid-stages of their career and are looking to set bold goals to support their ambitions.