Professor Laura Tarzia is a Professorial Fellow in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care, where she co-leads the Sexual and Family Violence (SAFE) program. Laura has a background in sociology, with an emphasis on qualitative and mixed-methodologies. Her work draws on the voices of victim/survivors to generate novel theoretical insights that can be applied in practice to strengthen responses to sexual, intimate partner and reproductive violence.

Laura's work focuses primarily on sexual and reproductive violence against women. She has undertaken world-leading research on women's experiences of reproductive coercion and abuse, and intimate partner sexual violence, including development of a trauma-informed website to support victim/survivors (Beyond Silence). Her main research areas include: 1. understanding the context and dynamics of sexual and reproductive violence and 2. strengthening trauma-and-violence informed responses in health settings and online.

As well as leading the RESTORE CRE, Laura is chief investigator on the MANTRA Study (funded by an NHMRC Ideas Grant), a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of trauma-sensitive yoga for survivors of sexual violence. She has recently completed an ARC Discovery project on international students’ experiences of sexual and intimate partner violence (INVEST) in conjunction with Monash and Deakin Universities. In 2025 she is leading a multi-disciplinary ARC Discovery Grant on sexual violence against older women (together with colleagues from The University of Melbourne (Criminology and Law) and the University of Newcastle), where she hopes to strengthen recognition and response to this hidden form of violence.

View Laura Tarzia’s University of Melbourne Find An Expert profile here.