PhD candidate Beth MacLean’s research into iron deficiency focusses on women in their reproductive years, who are at higher risk of developing the condition.

Beth has run free public screenings aiming to raise awareness about iron deficiency - the symptoms of which often go ignored - and refer women with risk factors for further testing. Her CAPRI study also collects data to help develop an algorithm to help predict the condition.

On the Research on the Record podcast, Beth reveals how her own experience with iron deficiency as a competitive athlete inspired her to pursue studies to gain a greater understanding of how it can affect people, especially women.

The UWA Medical School student explains how, at the beginning of her research, she encountered a lack of data about iron deficiency for women in their reproductive years, why that needs to change, and how women reacted to the information provided by her study’s free public screenings.