Using Data to Empower Patients: Professor Georgina Chambers and the Innovation Behind YourIVFSuccess
In 2023, Professor Georgina Chambers received the Data Innovation Award sponsored by DHCRC, recognising her leadership in developing impactful data innovations that improve health outcomes and strengthen the health and medical research sector.
The award celebrates individuals or teams whose work represents significant data innovations in the health and medical research sector. For Professor Chambers, the recognition highlighted the power of high-quality data to support both research and real-world decision making.
Professor Chambers is Director of the Australian National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit (NPESU) within the Centre for Big Data Research in Health at UNSW Sydney and an internationally recognised leader in perinatal epidemiology, biostatistics, and the health economics and policy analysis of assisted reproductive technologies.
Her work focuses on leveraging large-scale health data to better inform clinicians, policymakers and patients navigating complex reproductive health decisions, including her key role as Data Custodian of the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproductive Technology Database (ANZARD) and the Australian and New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN).
For over three decades, ANZARD has captured detailed data from all IVF cycles across Australia and New Zealand, making it one of the world’s oldest and most comprehensive IVF registries and a critical resource for monitoring clinical practice, informing research and shaping policy.
Transforming Data into Practical Decision-Making Tools
Infertility affects one in six couples, and assisted reproductive technology now accounts for approximately one in eighteen births in Australia. Despite the widespread use of IVF, prospective patients historically had limited access to independent information that could help them understand their chances of success or compare clinics.
Recognising this gap, Professor Chambers and her team at NPESU led the development of YourIVFSuccess, a government-funded online platform designed to help consumers make more informed decisions about IVF treatment.
Launched at Parliament House in Canberra in February 2021, the YourIVFSuccess website uses data from the ANZARD clinical quality registry to provide transparent and independent information about IVF outcomes across Australia.
The platform represents a significant step forward in translating complex clinical data into practical tools that support patient decision making.
The website includes several innovative consumer-facing features developed in collaboration with patients and consumer groups:
- IVF Clinic Comparison Tool – a searchable database of all Australian IVF clinics and their latest success rates.
- Personalised IVF Success Estimator – an online tool providing individualised estimates of the chance of having a baby.
- Evidence-Based Resources – accessible, reliable information to support fertility treatment decisions.
- YourEggFreeze Estimator – a tool providing personalised insights into elective egg freezing success.
The Estimator uses interpretable machine learning models to generate personalised predictions based on patient characteristics such as age, diagnosis, previous treatment history and other clinical factors.
By combining large-scale clinical registry data with innovative modelling approaches, the platform made previously inaccessible information available to patients in a clear and meaningful way.
Real-World Impact for Patients and the Research Community
Since its launch, YourIVFSuccess has demonstrated significant impact in helping individuals affected by infertility make more informed choices about their treatment pathways.
By 2025, the site recorded more than 230,000 individual visitors, representing a 450% increase on the previous year.
In March 2026, the team launched the YourEggFreeze Estimator, which received extensive media coverage, reaching a potential audience of more than 3.2 million people in its first ten days.
“Receiving the 2023 Research Australia Award for Data Innovation highlighted the power of harnessing health data to inform patient and consumer decision making.”
The award has also helped strengthen the credibility and visibility of the research behind the platform, supporting new collaborations and funding opportunities.
“Receiving such a prestigious award adds to the credibility and trust in the research behind the website and recognises the expertise of the team.”
Continuing the Conversation Around Data and Health Innovation
Professor Chambers’ work highlights the growing importance of data as a national resource within the health and medical research sector.
The success of YourIVFSuccess demonstrates how combining high-quality national datasets with consumer-centred design can translate research into meaningful community outcomes.
“Research awards strengthen a team’s reputation, helping secure funding, promotions and new collaborations, while increasing visibility with academic and policy audiences.”
2026 Research Australia Awards
Professor Chambers’ work remains a powerful example of how innovative uses of data can improve transparency, empower patients and strengthen health systems.