Dr Samantha Nolan

Having been a midwife for 24 years, working across a variety of care models in both the UK and Australia, my passion for woman-centred, midwifery-led continuity of care for all women underpins my philosophy and drives me to work towards maternity care reform. All women should experience the benefits afforded by holistic midwifery care, and be involved in informed decision-making that considers their physical, cultural, social, spiritual and emotional needs regardless of any complications they may experience during the childbearing journey. A focus of my PhD is for midwives to consider online extensions to midwifery-led care provision, using social media platforms, to engage adolescent mothers and assist them to build valuable social capital. My research interests include: exploring ways to enhance tertiary midwifery education/practice experiences and improving accessibility/relevance of midwifery-care provision for marginalised groups of women who often fail to engage in traditional healthcare services. Working for five years in midwifery academia, I am passionate about contributing to the development of the future midwifery workforce, inspiring them to embrace midwifery as a primary maternity health profession that improves outcomes for women, babies, families and society.