Alison Maunder

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

LinkedIn | WSU Researcher Profile

Dr Alison Maunder is an early career researcher in women’s health and complementary and integrative medicine at the NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University (WSU). Her work focuses on improving outcomes for women by combining evidence-based complementary therapies — in particular naturopathy — with whole-person models of care and their integration into mainstream healthcare. Her research spans the full translational pipeline, from identifying research gaps and co-designing solutions, through to clinical trials, evidence synthesis, and guideline development, with a strong commitment to integrative health and equity for all women.

Dr Maunder works with Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH), WSU’s academic integrative medicine clinic, and co-leads its research program to develop and implement shared medical appointments. As NICM’s representative to the World Naturopathic Federation (WNF), she contributes to the WNF Evidence Map of Antimicrobial Resistance, reflecting her commitment to advancing the evidence base for naturopathic medicine on a global scale.

Her research has informed national and international clinical guidelines for the use of complementary therapies in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), endometriosis, infertility, and menopause. Research metrics include a Field-Weighted Citation Impact of 1.60, h-index of 7, 17 peer-reviewed publications (83% in Q1 journals), and $10,000 in competitive funding from the National Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA).

Dr Maunder completed her PhD at Western Sydney University and is an Editorial Board Member for the Australian Journal of Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine. She co-supervises 8 HDR students and is actively committed to building research capacity and mentoring within the naturopathic profession.

Research focus