Women's health in paramedicine: Understanding menopausal employees through evidence and lived experience

Karen Stewart is a seasoned leader in emergency services, she currently holds the role as General Manager of Ambulance Operations - Rural and Remote at St John WA. Her career began in Scotland, where she became the youngest female paramedic to graduate with an IHCD in Paramedicine in 1997. Over the next 20 years, she held a variety of clinical and leadership roles with the Scottish Ambulance Service before relocating to Australia in 2012.

Since joining St John WA as a paramedic, Karen has progressed through several senior leadership positions, including Clinical Governance Operations Manager. She holds a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from Murdoch University, where her research on the transition from clinician to manager was published in the Australasian Journal of Paramedicine in 2021. She is an Associate Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management, a certified health manager, and a co-author of multiple publications.

Karen is a passionate advocate for women’s health in the workplace. Over the past two years she has focused on raising awareness of perimenopause and menopause, as both an author and contributing to articles, podcasts, and television interviews. In 2025, she led the initiative that saw St John WA become the first Emergency Service in Australia to receive menopause-friendly accreditation. Her work earned her recognition as a finalist in the 2025 CAA Awards for Excellence.