Dr Maria Healy
Management Group Chair | Senior Lecturer in Midwifery (Education) QUB
Maria joined the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast as a Lecturer in Midwifery (Education) in September 2016 and progressed to Senior Lecturer (Education). Dr Maria Healy is currently a Swan Co-champion at the School of Nursing and Midwifery and recently led the university participation in the PHA Breastfeeding Welcome Here scheme at Queen’s. She has enjoyed holding the positions of CPAD lead from 2020 until Sept 2023 and Programme director for the BSc (HONS) Midwifery Sciences programme (Sept 2018 – Feb. 2020). She is module coordinator, link lecturer, personal tutor and PhD and MSc research supervisor. Prior to this appointment, Maria was the Subject Head of Midwifery at University College Dublin, having joined UCD in 2000. She is a Registered Midwife (RM), Registered General Nurse (RGN) and Teacher (TCH) who has extensive experience in clinical midwifery practice.
Prof Patricia Leahy-Warren
Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery UCC
Patricia Leahy-Warren is Professor of Nursing and Chair of Health Services Research and Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at UCC. Patricia holds a Visiting Professorships at University of Western Sydney, Australia and Diakonova University, Norway. She has a strong national and international reputation in the disciplines of midwifery, nursing and public health nursing and in the field of maternal and child health. Patricia researches and supervises higher degree students in topics addressing the social and emotional health and well-being of women and men in the transition to parenthood, breastfeeding, perinatal mental health, and social support, particularly in vulnerable communities and researching improvements in service delivery and professional practice.
Ciara Close
Midwifery Lecturer QUB
Ciara is a Midwifery Lecturer in QUB from August 2021, and continues to practice as a Registered Midwife. She has a strong interest in public health and health behaviour change and worked from 2014-2021 as a Research Fellow in Public Health. She possesses an MSc in Public Health, BSc in Nutrition alongside clinical experience working in health promotion and Dietetics. Ciara is interested in women’s experiences of maternity care, her PhD explored women’s experiences of care for pelvic girdle pain and she is currently involved research into women’s experiences of maternity care during COVID, the MCARE (Maternity Covid and Real experiences) study.
Julika Hudson
PhD Midwifery | Trinity College Dublin
Julika Hudson is a PhD Candidate in her final year at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Trinity College Dublin. She completed her BSc in Midwifery at Trinity College in 2014 as a Trinity Scholar. She worked as a midwife in Dublin before getting a 1252 PhD Scholarship in 2021 and an Ussher Fellowship in 2022. Her PhD study is a Classic Grounded Theory Study looking at the right to informed consent and to declining treatment in pregnancy and birth in post-Repeal Ireland. Originally from Germany she holds a BA in Social Science and a MSc in Urban Geography both from the Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands. Julika’s interests include Human Rights in Childbirth and Midwifery Research. She is a member of the COST Action 18211 Devotion regarding Birth Trauma.
Gillian Robinson
Midwife | Royal Jubilee Maternity Service Belfast
In 2012 Gillian completed her biomedical sciences degree from Queens University Belfast and went on to work as a biomedical scientist in BHSCT Histopathology department. After having her 3 children Gillian decided that she wanted to pursue a career in midwifery and began the midwifery undergraduate program at Queens University Belfast. She is now a newly qualified midwife working for the Royal Jubilee Maternity Service in Belfast.
Emily Moffatt
Midwifery Teaching Fellow | Trinity College Dublin
Emily is a Midwifery Teaching Fellow in Trinity College Dublin and works as a Self-Employed Community Midwife, supporting women at home in the Republic of Ireland. She completed her BSc in Midwifery at UCD as an Ad Astra Scholar and holds an MSc in Midwifery Practice and Leadership. Emily is passionate about midwife-led care, homebirth, and promoting woman-centered care.