Monique Bareham is described as a ‘powerhouse’ lymphoedema advocate and tireless consumer partner in health research. 

In 2009, at 36, her world was shattered by a cancer diagnosis – her gruelling treatment leaving her with severe lymphoedema which abruptly ended her professional career. Realising South Australia was the only state without a compression garment subsidy scheme and limited public lymphoedema clinics, Monique set about righting this wrong by reinventing herself as a Lymphoedema Patient Advocate. Her efforts resulted in the establishment of the SA Health Lymphoedema Compression Garment Subsidy Scheme and expansion of lymphoedema clinics. These services continue to provide 1000’s of expensive yet vital compression garments to South Australians affected by lymphoedema and improving quality of life, restoring dignity and keeping people out of hospital.  

Providing peer support and helping to amplify the voices of others is at the heart of all she does. To this end, she is a sitting member of the South Australian Health Performance Council (HPC), SA Health Lymphoedema Advisory Group, FHMRI and PC4 Consumer Advisory Groups and Chair of Wounds Australia Consumer Advisory Group. Monique is the driving force behind the Australian Federal Parliamentary Friends of Lymphoedema and remains its Consumer Advisor. 

Monique regularly collaborates in Australian and International Health and Medical research at FHMRI and SAHMRI and is invited to co-author papers in high ranking medical journals. In 2025, Monique’s focus on translational patient centred research has led her to commence a Master in Health and Clinical Research at Flinders University. 

Availability: Any area of the state