Alexandra (Ali) Head
Senior Research Officer

Background
Alexandra Head leads Burnet’s implementation of CUTTS HepC: Catalysing uptake of under-utilised tools & treatment simplification for HepC in Georgia, Armenia, and Tanzania. She oversees project management, research coordination, and stakeholder engagement by:
- monitoring timelines, budgets, and deliverables
- managing ethics and governance processes across multiple countries
- coordinating data management and cross-consortium data pooling.
Alexandra supports in-country teams and maintains strong partnerships with research institutes, industry partners, NGOs and community representatives to ensure projects are community-informed and contextually relevant.
Alexandra also works as part of the Global Adolescent Health working group. She has extensive experience delivering research and programs on menstrual health across Australia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Pacific. Her work involves providing training and technical support to the Adolescent Menstrual Experiences and Health Cohort (AMEHC) study, a longitudinal cohort study on menstrual practices in Bangladesh. She is also leading a portfolio of work on menstrual products in Australia, including reusable products and the provision of free products.
Key achievements
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Systematic review of menstrual health interventions in East Asia and the Pacific (published in Lancet SEA).
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Joint report (UNICEF/WaterAid) on menstrual health policy, programming and advocacy in East Asia and the Pacific.
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Leading longitudinal qualitative research study as part of AMEHC study.
With a career grounded in gender equality and social inclusion, Alexandra has worked with NGOs and INGOs to support disadvantaged and marginalised groups. Prior to joining Burnet, Alexandra was based in Cambodia, working across the Asia-Pacific region as a gender and social inclusion specialist. In this role she developed policies, strategies, and programs that embed gender equality, diversity, and inclusion within organisations and in the communities they serve.
Qualifications
- Master of International Relations (MIR), University of Melbourne, Australia
- Bachelor of Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Burnet publications
View 4 more“Basically, my answer is, there needs to be options!” Recommendations for the delivery of free menstrual products to the public: A qualitative exploration among marginalised groups in Victoria, Australia
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Alexandra Head et al
Menstrual cup acceptability and functionality in real‐world use: A cross‐sectional survey of young people in Australia
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Julie Hennegan et al
Menstrual Practice Needs Scale short form (MPNS-SF) and rapid (MPNS-R): development in Khulna, Bangladesh, and validation in cross-sectional surveys from Bangladesh and Uganda
BMJ Open
Julie Hennegan et al
Current projects
Youth-led research and action on health and climate change in the Philippines

Adolescent Menstrual Health: Tracing the impacts of unmet needs in Bangladesh
The AMEHC study responds to the urgent need for better data and evidence to understand adolescent girls' menstrual health and quantify the impact this has on girls' lives.
CUTTS HepC: Catalysing uptake of under-utilised tools & treatment simplification for HepC
This project will generate evidence on how to improve hepatitis C prevention and care for people who inject drugs in low-and middle-income countries.