Research: Female reproductive focused outcomes in Ex-servicewomen – A UK Armed Forces and Canadian Armed Forces Collaboration

Bio: Dr Alethea McHardy is a Consultant in Sport & Exercise Medicine who works for the Ministry of Defence as Clinical lead for the Regional Rehabilitation Unit of Scotland in Edinburgh. She has been a tutor on the BASEM Foundation Skills course for 10 years and has held many different roles within the sporting context.

In 2024, she began a PhD examining the health outcomes of women who have served in the UK Armed Forces. In February 2026, she launched the HER SERVICE HER HEALTH Project, which aims to translate research findings into meaningful insights for those currently serving, veterans, policymakers within the MoD and veteran support services and beyond. Through her work with the veteran community, she seeks to expand understanding of an under-researched group—women who have served. By strengthening knowledge in this area, she hopes to help drive changes that better support both female veterans and women currently in service.

In August 2026, she has been invited to the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research team, Queens University  Canada to collaborate on research exploring female reproductive health outcomes among those who have served in the UK Armed Forces and the Canadian Armed Forces. As her work gains international recognition, she is rapidly establishing herself as a leading quantitative researcher in the field of female veterans’ health.