MMRC Research Round Up: 2021

2021 was another year of pivoting, adapting and transitioning. Throughout this past year, our team of students, fellows, faculty and staff have continued to push and produce quality research to improve the midwifery research landscape.

We’ve rounded up our presentations and publications from 2021 here.

Presentations

• 2021 Annual Clinical and Scientific Conference of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada:
  • Tonya MacDonald (supervised by Liz Darling) presented their work on the study, “Maternal-newborn outcomes in rural Haiti: an interrupted time series study.”
  • Laura Schummers presented their work on the study (co-led with Liz Darling), “Abortion utilization and safety when mifepristone is available without regulations restricting practice? A population-based study using linked health administrative data from Canada.” Laura was virtually presented as a “Best of Three” Oral Presentation.
• 32nd International Confederation of Midwives Congress:
  • Liz Darling presented their work on the study, “Non-indicated transfers of care from midwives to physicians in Ontario, Canada.”
• Canadian Association of Health Services and Policy Research:
  • Liz Darling presented their work on the study, “Lessons learned from the implementation of Canada’s first alongside midwifery unit: A explanatory case study.”
•  Norman Education Research Day:
  • Bronte Johnston (supervised by Beth Murray-Davis) presented their work on the study, “Evaluation of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training for Midwives.”
• Association of Ontario Midwives Research Symposium:
  • Bronte Johnston (supervised by Beth Murray-Davis) presented their work on the study, “Evaluation of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training for Midwives.”
• Canadian National Perinatal Research Meeting:
  • Bronte Johnston (supervised by Beth Murray-Davis) presented their work on the study, “Evaluation of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training for Midwives.”
• Global Affairs Canada, Ideas Symposium Policy Presentation:
  • Cristina Mattison and Kirsty Bourret (MMRC Fellows) presented their work on the study, “Investing in midwifery associations to strengthen midwifery services to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights: A policy brief for grounding the Feminist International Assistance Policy in evidence.”

Publications

Health Services, Population Health & Access to Care

• Murray-Davis B, Darling EK, Berger H, Melamed N, Li J, Guarna G, Syed M, Barrett J, Geary M, Mawjee K, McDonald SD. Midwives perceptions of managing pregnancies complicated by obesity: A mixed methods study. Midwifery. 2022. 105:103225.

• Schummers L, Darling EK, Dunn S, McGrail K, Gayowsky A, Law MR, Laba TL, Kaczorowski J, Norman WV. Abortion Safety and Use with Normally Prescribed Mifepristone in Canada. N Engl J Med. 2021.

• Panday J, Taneja S, Popoola A, Pack R, Greyson D, McDonald S, Black M, Murray- Davis B, Darling E, Vanstone M. Clinician responses to cannabis use during pregnancy and lactation: A systematic review and integrative mixed-methods research synthesis. Family Practice. Accepted for publication Oct. 18, 2021.

• Darling EK, Easterbrook R, Grenier LN, Malott A, Murray-Davis B, Mattison CA. Lessons learned from the implementation of Canada’s first alongside midwifery unit: A qualitative explanatory study. Midwifery. 2021 Dec;103:103146. doi: 10.1016/j.midw.2021.103146. Epub 2021 Sep 14.

• Brunton G, Wahab S, Sheikh H, Murray-Davis B. Global stakeholder perspectives of home birth: a systematic scoping review. Syst Rev. 2021 Nov 2;10(1):291. doi: 10.1186/s13643-021-01837-9.

• MacDonald T, Dorcely O, Ewusie JE, Darling EK, Moll S, Mbuagbaw L. The effect of a new maternity unit on maternal outcomes in rural Haiti: an interrupted time series study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021 Sep 4;21(1):601. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-04062-3. PMID: 34481461; PMCID: PMC8418005.
• Moffat T, McKerracher L, Oresnik S, Atkinson SA, Barker M, McDonald SD, Murray- Davis B, Sloboda DM. Investigating the normalization and normative views of gestational weight gain: Balancing recommendations with the promotion and support of healthy pregnancy diets. Am J Hum Biol. 2021 Sep;33(5):e23604. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23604. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33956376.
• Hiersch L, Shah BR, Berger H, Geary M, McDonald SD, Murray-Davis B, Guan J, Halperin I, Retnakaran R, Barrett J, Melamed N; for DOH-NET (Diabetes, Obesity, Hypertension in Pregnancy Research Network), SOON (Southern Ontario Obstetrical Network) InvestigatorsTM. Developing twin-specific 75-g oral glucose tolerance test diagnostic thresholds for gestational diabetes based on the risk of future maternal diabetes: a population-based cohort study. BJOG. 2021 Nov;128(12):1975-1985. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16773. Epub 2021 Jun 22. PMID: 34032350.

• Ahmed RJ, Gafni A, Hutton EK, Hu ZJ, Sanchez JJ, Murphy HR, Feig DS; CONCEPTT Collaborative Group. The cost implications of continuous glucose monitoring in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes in 3 Canadian provinces: a posthoc cost analysis of the CONCEPTT trial. CMAJ Open. 2021 Jun 4;9(2):E627-E634. doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20200128. Print 2021 Apr-Jun.
• Mattison C, Bourret K, Hebert E, Leshabari S, Kabeya A, Achiga P, Robinson J, Darling E. Health systems factors impacting the integration of midwifery: an evidence- informed framework on strengthening midwifery associations. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Jun;6(6):e004850. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004850.
• Landry S, Arseneau E, Darling EK. “It’s a Little Bit Tricky”: Results from the POLYamorous Childbearing and Birth Experiences Study (POLYBABES). Arch Sex Behav. 2021 May;50(4):1479-1490. doi: 10.1007/s10508-021-02025-5. Epub 2021 Jun 1. PMID: 34075505; PMCID: PMC8213580.10.1007/s10508-021-02025-5. Epub 2021 Jun 1.
• Reszel J, Weiss D, Darling EK, Sidney D, Van Wagner V, Soderstrom B, Rogers J, Holmberg V, Peterson WE, Khan BM, Walker MC, Sprague AE. Client Experience with the Ontario Birth Center Demonstration Project. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2021 Mar;66(2):174-184. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.13164. Epub 2020 Dec 18.

• Schummers L, Darling EK, Gayowsky A, Dunn S, McGrail K, Law MR, Laba TL, Norman WV. Abortion utilization and safety when mifepristone is available without regulations restricting practice? A population-based study using linked health administrative data from Ontario. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 2021. 43(5):671-672.
• Vanstone M, Panday P, Popoola A, Taneja S, Greyson D, McDonald S, Pack R, Black M, Murray-Davis B, Darling E. Pregnant people’s perspectives on cannabis use during pregnancy: A systematic review and integrative mixed-methods research synthesis. Authorea. 2021. Pre-print.
• Grenier LN, Atkinson SA, Mottola MF, Wahoush O, Thabane L, Xie F, Vickers-Manzin J, Moore C, Hutton EK, Murray-Davis B. Be Healthy in Pregnancy: Exploring factors that impact pregnant women’s nutrition and exercise behaviours. Matern Child Nutr. 2021 Jan;17(1):e13068. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13068. Epub 2020 Jul 23.
• Darling EK, Kjell C, Tubman-Broeren M, Marquez O. The Effect of Prenatal Care Delivery Models Targeting Populations with Low Rates of PNC Attendance: A Systematic Review. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2021;32(1):119-136. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2021.0012.
• Bone JN, Magee LA, Singer J, Nathan H, Qureshi RN, Sacoor C, Sevene E, Shennan A, Bellad MB, Goudar SS, Hutton EK. Blood pressure thresholds in pregnancy for identifying maternal and infant risk: a secondary analysis of Community-Level Interventions for Pre-eclampsia (CLIP) trial data. The Lancet Global Health. 2021. 9(8):e1119-e1128.
• Shoemaker E , Saiyin T, Smith S, Loutfy M, Darling E, Walker M, Hawken S, Begum J, Bibeau C, Bertozzi, B, Fraleigh A, Kwaramba G, Johnson K, Cousineau A, Kendall C. Patterns of maternity care utilization of women living with HIV in Ontario: a cross- sectional, population level study. Birth. 2021;48(3):357-365. DOI: 10.1111/birt.12545

Health Outcomes

• Hiersch L, Ray JG, Barrett J, Berger H, Geary M, McDonald SD, Diong C, Gandhi S, Guan J, Murray-Davis B, Melamed N; DOH-NET (Diabetes, Obesity and Hypertension in Pregnancy Research Network). Maternal cardiovascular disease after twin pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: a population-based cohort study. CMAJ. 2021 Sep 20;193(37):E1448-E1458. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.202837. PMID: 34544783; PMCID: PMC8476218.
• Hiersch L, Shah BR, Berger H, Geary M, McDonald SD, Murray-Davis B, Halperin I, Retnakaran R, Barrett J, Melamed N; for DOH-NET (Diabetes, Obesity and Hypertension in Pregnancy Research Network) and SOON (Southern Ontario Obstetrical Network) Investigators. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Results in Pregnancy Can Be Used to Individualize the Risk of Future Maternal Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Care. 2021 Aug;44(8):1860-1867. doi: 10.2337/dc21-0659. Epub 2021 Jun 15. PMID: 34131049.
• Lipworth H, Melamed N, Berger H, Geary M, McDonald SD, Murray-Davis B, Murphy KE, Redelmeier DA, Yoon EW, Barrett JFR, Ram M; Diabetes, Obesity, and Hypertension In Pregnancy Research Network Investigators. Maternal weight gain and pregnancy outcomes in twin gestations. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Nov;225(5):532.e1- 532.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.04.260. Epub 2021 May 10. PMID: 33984302.

• Shinar S, Melamed N, Abdulaziz KE, Ray JG, Riddell C, Barrett J, Murray-Davis B, Mawjee K, McDonald SD, Geary M, Berger H; for DOH-NET (Diabetes, Obesity, Hypertension in Pregnancy Research Network), SOON (Southern Ontario Obstetrical Network) InvestigatorsTM. Changes in rate of preterm birth and adverse pregnancy outcomes attributed to preeclampsia after introduction of a refined definition of preeclampsia: A population-based study. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2021 Sep;100(9):1627-1635. doi: 10.1111/aogs.14199. Epub 2021 Jul 9. PMID: 34043808
• Robinson C, Chanchlani R, Gayowsky A, Brar S, Darling E, Demers C, Klowak J, Knight B, Kuenzig E, Mondal T, Parekh R, Seow H, Jimenez-Rivera C, Webster R, Fung S, Benchimol EI, Batthish M. Incidence and short-term outcomes of Kawasaki disease. Pediatr Res. 2021 Sep;90(3):670-677. doi: 10.1038/s41390-021-01496-5. Epub 2021 Mar 30. PMID: 33785879.
• Robinson C, Lao F, Chanchlani R, Gayowsky A, Darling E, Batthish M. Long-term hearing and neurodevelopmental outcomes following Kawasaki disease: A population- based cohort study. Brain Dev. 2021 Aug;43(7):735-744. doi: 10.1016/j.braindev.2021.03.001. Epub 2021 Apr 3. PMID: 33824025.
• Joseph KS, Lee L, Arbour L, Auger N, Darling EK, Evans J, Little J, McDonald SD, Moore A, Murphy PA, Ray JG, Scott H, Shah P, VanDenHof M, Kramer MS. Stillbirth in Canada: anachronistic definition and registration processes impede public health surveillance and clinical care. Can J Public Health. 2021 Aug;112(4):766-772. doi: 10.17269/s41997-021-00483-x. Epub 2021 Mar 19.
• Homann CM, Rossel CAJ, Dizzell S, Bervoets L, Simioni J, Li J, Gunn E, Surette MG, de Souza RJ, Mommers M, Hutton EK, Morrison KM, Penders J, van Best N, Stearns JC. Infants’ First Solid Foods: Impact on Gut Microbiota Development in Two Intercontinental Cohorts. Nutrients. 2021 Jul 30;13(8):2639. doi: 10.3390/nu13082639.
• Homann C, Dizzell S, Azab SM, Hutton EK, Morrison KM, Stearns JC; GI-MDH Consortium. Investigation of the impact of stool collection methods on the metabolomics analysis/profiles of infant fecal samples. bioRxiv. 2021. Pre-print.
• Dizzell S, Stearns JC, Li J, van Best N, Bervoets L, Mommers M, Penders J, Morrison KM, Hutton EK; GI-MDH Consortium Partners. Investigating colonization patterns of the infant gut microbiome during the introduction of solid food and weaning from breastmilk: A cohort study protocol. PLoS One. 2021 Apr 2;16(4):e0248924. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248924. eCollection 2021.
• Magee LA, Singer J, Lee T, Rey E, Asztalos E, Hutton E, Helewa M, Logan AG, Ganzevoort W, Welch R, Thornton JG, Woo Kinshella ML, Green M, Tsigas E, von Dadelszen P; CHIPS Study Group. The impact of pre-eclampsia definitions on the identification of adverse outcome risk in hypertensive pregnancy – analyses from the CHIPS trial (Control of Hypertension in Pregnancy Study). BJOG. 2021 Jul;128(8):1373- 1382. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16602. Epub 2021 Feb 25. PMID: 33230924.
• MacDonald T, Dorcely O, Ewusie J, Darling E, Greene S, Moll S, Mbuagbaw L. Maternal-newborn outcomes in rural Haiti: an interrupted time series study. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 2021. 43(5):662-663.

• Aviram A, Berger H, Abdulaziz KE, Barrett JFR, Murray-Davis B, McDonald SD, Geary M, Melamed N. Outcomes Associated With Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in Twin Compared With Singleton Gestations. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2021. 138(3):449- 458.

Interprofessional Education

• Corbin A, Darling EK, Pearce-Kelly T, Wise K. The Application of Health Leadership Competencies Around the World to the Canadian Midwifery Profession: A Scoping Review . CJMRP. 2021; 20(1): 18-30.
• Shamki T, Ramlogan-Salanga C, Darling EK. Racialized student midwives’ exploration of resilience in the Ontario Midwifery Education Program: A qualitative descriptive study. Canadian Journal of Midwifery Research and Practice. 2021. Accepted for publication fall 2021.