LGBTQIA+ Perinatal Research

NEONATAL DOCTOR

Ilana is a neonatal doctor in the South East of England. She recently completed a PhD at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit relating to milk expression after very premature birth. Ilana’s research interests are in lactation, neonatal nutrition and perinatal equity – however at present she is primarily a clinician.

STUDENT MIDWIFE

Ash Bainbridge is a student midwife who works to improve LGBTQ+ care outcomes and experiences. They co-authored journal article ‘The harms of gender exclusion: midwifery and reproductive justice’ (Birth, 2024), are cited in textbook Mayes' Midwifery as an example of student leadership challenging injustice and unsafe care, and consistently contribute to policy, governance, and training developments. He served as trustee for White Ribbon Alliance UK, gender inclusion advisor for safer pregnancy charity MAMA Academy, and have facilitated LGBTQ+ competency education for perinatal and neonatal healthcare staff and students across the UK. Ash was named Student Midwife of the Year at the 2024 Student Nursing Times Awards.

DOULA & ACTIVIST

Eshe Kiama Zuri is a doula and activist, offering free doula care to marginalised communities, specialising in non-medical support for complex life situations alongside perinatal journeys. Eshe is the founder of UK Mutual Aid founded in 2018, and of Doulas Decolonising, a Black and LGBTQIA+ run collective dedicated to the decolonisation of perinatal care and co-creating local and international campaigns. 

CEO, LGBT MUMMIES

Laura-Rose is a lesbian mother of four donor conceived children by IUI/IVF.She is both a Bio and Non Biological mother and has lived experience of operative birth, failed cycles, miscarriage, secondary infertility and birth trauma. She is an LGBT+, Maternity and Fertility Activist, educator, writer, seasoned speaker, and campaigner. She is Founder of LGBT Mummies, supporting over 70,000 worldwide through guidance, community, support groups and events. Through Proud Foundations their educational arm, She lectures and trains midwives and healthcare professionals, educates and consults with organisations to be inclusive, and has worked with the Government, NHSE & DHSC and is regularly invited into Parliament to present recommendations and campaigns for law reform. She has multiple roles across NHSE, RCOG,UCL, HFEA, MMHA, MNVP, influencing change to create equity and equality for the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalised minority groups. 

UNIVERSITY READER & LGBT PARENT

Dr Zoë Darwin is a Reader at the University of Huddersfield and an LGBTQ+ parent. She is a Chartered Psychologist and a leading perinatal mental health researcher with particular focus on experiences and needs of individuals and families pre-conception, during pregnancy, birth and early parenting. 

JAMES LIND ALLIANCE ADVISER (CHAIR)

Caroline is the James Lind Alliance (JLA) Adviser for this PSP. Her role is to chair the Steering Group and provide guidance to the Steering Group in the implementation of the JLA priority setting methodology and she will chair the final workshop. Caroline is an independent consultant who supports strategic change initiatives and facilitates people engagement activities. 

SPECIALIST MIDWIFE

Natalie is a Specialist Midwife in Infant Feeding, with a background in working in a stand-alone birth centre and home birth team. Her work in training, policy and articles are underpinned by an intersectional approach (which includes an awareness of personal privilege), with active focus on listening to and learning from birthing people. She is also Regional Lead for East Midlands for the National Infant Feeding Network, and a trustee for White Ribbon Alliance UK.

MD, TRANSPARENT CHANGE

Jacob Stokoe is the Managing Director and Head of Training at Transparent Change, a not-for-profit that provides trans and LGBTQ+ inclusion training to healthcare professionals. Jacob started public speaking on trans inclusion in 2013 and founded Transparent Change after his experiences of being pregnant and accessing perinatal care as a trans person. 

As well as creating and providing training, Jacob has also written articles and been featured in various books about trans pregnancy and parenting. 

LGBT PARENT

My partner and I are a same sex couple and became parents through surrogacy.

MIDWIFERY SENIOR LECTURER

Bunty is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead for the BSc (Hons) Midwifery at the University of Worcester. She has a professional interest in inclusive care for the LGBTQIA+ community. Bunty’s MSc research is exploring student midwives’ experiences of caring for trans and/or non-binary people in perinatal services. Bunty is also part of the LGBTQIA+ community and has used perinatal services as a gay parent.

RESEARCHER

Dr Mari Greenfield is a gestational and non-gestational parent, and a foster carer. She worked for many years as a doula, providing support to many different families throughout pregnancy, birth, and into the first months of the postnatal period. Mari now works as an academic researcher, and has a long-standing interest in finding out about and improving LGBTQ+ people’s perinatal experiences.

OBSTETRICIAN

DIRECTOR OF INCLUSION, LGBT FOUNDATION

PROFESSOR OF HEALTH

Catherine Meads is a Professor of Health at Anglia Ruskin University and senior systematic reviewer. She has been conducting research into LGBTQ+ health since 1992, has delivered numerous public lectures, spoken at Select Committee and All-Party Parliamentary Groups and taught medical and nursing students. She has been on several LGBTQ+ conference steering committees and was a member of the UK Government Equalities Office LGBT Advisory Panel.

SPECIALITY REGISTRAR

Dr Connolly is a specialty registrar and academic clinical fellow in public health medicine. They are interested in human rights law and inclusion health with a specific focus on LGBTQ+ people and people who use drugs. They are Co-chair of the Faculty of Public Health Drugs Special Interest Group and member of the LGBT+ working group of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. They also co-lead the LGBTQ+ research inclusion subcommittee of the NIHR LGBTQ+ staff network. 

MIDWIFERY UNIVERSITY LECTURER

Roisin Bailey is a lecturer at the University of Leicester, teaching across the MSci. Midwifery with Leadership integrated Masters programme. She also works as a midwife at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. Roisin has an interest in inclusive and non-discriminatory support for perinatal services users and midwifery students alike. Roisin is also an academic Professional Midwifery Advocate (PMA).