Watch Dr. Kaufman’s presentation  here (double-click image to enlargen), or on our MMRC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/whwdCA_jg9A

Keynote Speaker

Monday, May 8, 2023 – 1200h EST

Prof. Karyn Kaufman

Professor Emeritus, Midwifery Education Program, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University

From There to Where?

Keynote Description: A personal reflection about some of the challenges of 30 years ago for midwifery and midwifery education in Ontario and the achievements that have made a major impact here and elsewhere.  New challenges now face a maturing profession within a health care system under strain where  global health care needs are only increasing.

Keynote Speaker

Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 1200h EST

Liesbeth Kool

Lecturer, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Primary Care and Long Term Care, Midwifery Science, Groningen, the Netherlands; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

Dr. Esther Feijen

Assistant Professor of Midwifery, University Medical Centre Groningen, Department of Primary Care and Long Term Care, Midwifery Science, Groningen, the Netherlands; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

The Transition-Into-Practice Experiences Of Newly Qualified Midwives In The Netherlands

Keynote Description: In this presentation, we will introduce you to the Dutch midwifery system, our education system, and the path our midwifery students have to take after graduation. We will present the results of our research from the period 2018 to the present-day. We will also ask you to reflect with us on how we can support newly graduated midwives to maintain their work engagement and prevent them from early burnout.

Watch the panel discussion here (double-click image to enlargen), or on our MMRC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/03s1V0YVXNw

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 – 1200h EST

Sustainability of Midwifery

Panel Topic Description: This panel discussion will explore the perspectives of Canadian midwives as well as midwives from Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom on factors impacting the sustainability of the midwifery profession.

Watch the panel discussion here (double-click image to enlargen), or on our MMRC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ChBoTxvXfmQ

Wednesday, May 10, 2022 – 1200h EST

Hospital-Affiliated Midwifery-Led Postpartum Care Programs

Monday, May 8, 2023 – 1235h EST

Dr. Liz Darling

Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, McMaster University

Midwives’ Satisfaction Working In Expanded Midwifery Care Models In Ontario: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Project Description: This presentation will share findings from a CIHR funded study exploring the value of funding Ontario midwives to work in new models of care that are integrated into a variety hospital and primary care settings.

Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 1235h EST

Dr. Anne Malott

Associate Professor, Midwifery Education Program, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University

Tackling Transition Together: Evaluating a Mentorship Program for New Registrant Midwives

Project Description: In this presentation, you will learn about the experiences of new registrant midwives with a mentorship program created in Ontario to support transition through the first year of practice. Preliminary results have advised the development of a model that contributes to our understanding of best practices in providing support.  These results are already prompting further research around approaches to mentorship which we hope will impact sustainability within the profession.

Watch Erika Campbell’s presentation here (double-click image to enlargen), or on our MMRC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/vT8XUNxgiJo

Monday, May 8, 2023 – 1305h EST,

Erika Campbell (she/her/hers)

Global Health Program, McMaster University

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions”: Examining Evacuation Birth Policy in Ontario And The Influence of Health Systems’ Cultures On The Provision of Maternity Care For First Nations Peoples Birthing Outside Of Their Communities

Project Description: This study uses documentary, survey, and interview data to map where First Nations peoples are being evacuated within the province of Ontario to give birth under the federal evacuation birth policy. As well, this study explores the influence of the dominate western culture within the federal and Ontario healthcare systems related to the provision of maternity care provided to First Nations peoples who are evacuated out of their communities to give birth.

Watch Dr. Beth Murray-Davis’ symposium closing remarks here (double-click image to enlargen), or on our MMRC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Nliql-6zII0

Friday, May 12, 2023 – 1305h EST

Dr. Beth Murray-Davis

Scientific Director, McMaster Midwifery Research Centre, and Associate Professor, Midwifery Education Program, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University

Beth summarizes the symposium week’s presentations, presenters, and purpose.

Professor, Midwifery Program, Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia; Principal, Birth Place Lab; MSFHR Health Professional Investigator

Friday, May 12, 2023 – 1200h EST

Keynote Description: Very little is known about how people experience care during pregnancy and childbirth across Canada, especially among people with various identities, circumstances and backgrounds. Differences in experiences and outcomes across communities may be linked to access to care, their individual health status, and/or how they are treated. We do not know for sure, and there is very little research where community members have decided on what is most important to study and understand. This presentation will focus on midwifery related outcomes/experiences from the Research Examining The Stories of Pregnancy and Childbearing in Canada Today (RESPCCT) Study, a community participatory research project. In the RESPCCT study, a diverse group of people who had recent pregnancy experiences created or chose the questions to ask. They worked with researchers and community-based organizations to develop this survey, and to reach people across Canada who want to tell their stories of pregnancy and childbearing. Information gathered in the surveys will be used to improve childbearing care for all types of communities. The Canadian Institute of Health Research provided funding for this study to this multi-stakeholder team led by Dr. S. Vedam and the Birth Place Lab at UBC. Study link: http://www.respcct.ca/research-team/.

Bio: Saraswathi Vedam is Lead Investigator at the Birth Place Lab and Professor of Midwifery at University of British Columbia. Over 35 years, her work has set standards for international policy on place of birth, midwifery integration, and equitable access to high quality perinatal care. Dr. Vedam has coordinated several participatory action research projects across North America. Her scholarly work explores experiences of respect, discrimination, and mistreatment in perinatal services among people with identities, circumstances and backgrounds that have been historically marginalized and oppressed. She was also PI for the Access and Integration Maternity care Mapping (AIMM) Study where a multi-disciplinary team examined the impact of integration of midwives on maternal-newborn outcomes. She is currently PI for RESPCCT, a national participatory action study to examine experience of childbearing care across Canada, with a focus on amplifying voices of communities that are seldom heard.  Dr. Vedam’s research led to the development of new quality measures: the Mothers’ Autonomy in Decision Making (MADM) scale, the Mothers on Respect (MORi) index and the Mistreatment in Childbirth (MIST) index. In 2017 these accountability tools received the National Quality Forum Innovation Prize, and they are now are being applied in 65 countries to evaluate quality of care at the institutional, system, and country levels.

Panelist

Full Professor, Department of Midwifery Science, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Amsterdam Public Health, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Primary Care Medicine and Long Term Care

Bio: Ank de Jonge is the first midwife in the Netherlands who became professor in Midwifery Science. A prestigious career grant (VENI) was awarded to her for studies into the safety of primary care and home birth. She was the project leader of one of the largest randomised controlled trials into the usefulness of routine ultrasound in the third trimester of pregnancy (the IRIS study) and of two studies into integrated maternity care; the INCAS project and the SWING study. Currently, she is project leader of a study into variations in the organisation of integrated care (the VOICE study) and into the implementation of continuity of midwifery care (the COMIC (Continuity of Midwifery Care) study). She is head of the department of Midwifery Science which has four research lines: 1. Organisation of midwifery care, 2. Mental health before, during and after pregnancy, 3. Quality of midwifery care and 4. Short and long term consequences of interventions and care during pregnancy and birth. On behalf of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), she is a member of the WHO Technical Working Group on Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response. Contact: Ank.dejonge@amsterdamumc.nl. More info: Ank de Jonge — Amsterdam UMC – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (vumc.nl).

Panelist

Assistant Professor of Teaching, Midwifery Program, University of British Columbia

Bio: Luba is an Assistant Professor of teaching at UBC, and has been a registered midwife since 2007. Before becoming a midwife, Luba studied Ukrainian in her PhD in Linguistics. Today, Luba hears the calls of her Ukrainian ancestors to assist Ukraine. With so many innocent lives lost every day, every birth of a Ukrainian baby on Ukrainian land is an act of resistance. Luba encourages you to support Ukrainians by donating to the Government of Ukraine initiative, United24.

Luba has published and presented work nationally and internationally about barriers and enablers of sustainable midwifery in BC, and collaborated with Kathrin Stoll, PhD, to publish a survey of midwifery workforce issues soon after the start of Covid-19 that was covered widely in print and radio media. Luba was awarded a Stollery Foundation grant to study the complexity of midwifery practice in BC, and worked with Kathrin and a research team to publish “Perinatal outcomes of midwife-led care, stratified by medical risk: a retrospective cohort study from British Columbia 2008-2018.” This work provides population-level evidence that midwifery care is safe for people with varied levels of antenatal medical risk, and calls for expansion of midwifery as a way to lower intervention rates and increase access to under-served communities in BC. Contact: luba.butska@ubc.ca.

Panelist

Senior Project Leader and Labour Relations Specialist, Association of Ontario Midwives

Bio: Elizabeth Brandeis is a registered midwife and the Senior Project Leader and Labour Relations Specialist at the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM). She graduated from the Toronto Metropolitan University Midwifery Education Program in 2003 and received her masters in Community Health at University of Toronto in 2013. She was a practicing midwife for 19 years and worked as a sessional instructor in the Midwifery Education Programs at TMU and McMaster. She served as AOM president from 2016-2020. In her current role, she is leading the Midwifery Sustainability Project – the AOM’s response to unprecedented rates of burnout, mental health leaves and attrition in midwifery. She has played a key role in the landmark victory for midwives from the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario to remedy systemic gender discrimination on midwives’ compensation.

Panelist

Emerita Professor of Midwifery at Cardiff University, Wales.

Bio: Billie Hunter is Emerita Professor of Midwifery at Cardiff University, Wales, Fellow of the United Kingdom Royal College of Midwives, and is a Visiting Professor at Surrey University, United Kingdom and University of Technology in Sydney, Australia.

Billie has been a midwife for over 40 years, working in education and research from 1996 until her retirement in 2022. She led the development of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development at Cardiff University, which collaborates with WHO to strengthen midwifery education and practice in the European Region and globally.

Billie is well known internationally for her research into the emotional aspects of midwifery and maternity care. She feels strongly that the key to improving care for women and their families is to support the emotional wellbeing of midwives and strengthen midwifery. She was awarded a CBE in June 2018 in recognition of her services to midwifery and midwifery education in the UK and Europe.

Panelist

Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

Bio: Christine Catling has been a midwife for 28 years. Currently she is an NHMRC Research Fellow investigating Clinical Supervision in midwifery. Previous roles include Director of Midwifery Studies within the Faculty of Health at UTS, Research Fellow with the UTS-based World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, Research Assistant within the Centre for Health Services Management and Centre for Midwifery, Child and Family Health, Clinical Midwifery Consultant at St George Hospital, clinical midwife and antenatal educator. She is the co-lead of the Maternal, Newborn and Women’s Clinical Academic Group for SPHERE. Her published work comprises papers on normal birth after caesarean section, evaluations of simulation activities for midwifery students, maternal and neonatal outcomes from publicly-funded homebirth models of care, and health system strengthening in Papua New Guinea amongst many others. Her current research focus is on supportive strategies and workplace culture in midwifery. Study link: https://gcsformidwives.com.au/. Contact: Christine.catling@uts.edu.au

Panelist

Adjunct Professor, Midwifery Education Program, McMaster University and Toronto Metropolitan University. Registered Midwife, Midwives of Mississauga, Ontario.

Bio: Remi is graduate of the first class of the Midwifery Education Program at McMaster University, and past president of the AOM. Remi practiced in the suburbs in the West End of the Greater Toronto Area for the past 26 years in a large suburban/rural practice, and previously was the head midwife at Trillium Health Partners, a hospital at which they have a supportive interdisciplinary team of care and where midwives are supported to provide care within full scope. Remi is a member of the Association of Ontario Midwives’ (AOM) Quality, Insurance and Risk Management Program and is a member of the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada (HIROC)’s Board of Directors, the Provincial Council For Maternity and Child Health (PCMCH)’s Governing Council, and is the Chair of the Midwifery Sustainability Project Steering Committee. Remi has a keen interest in building supportive environments for midwives to practice in within which care can be provided to the fullest scope and optimize quality of care. The building blocks of such environments include strong evidence, functional relationships and good business practices. Remi obtained her Masters in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety in 2013 and aims to use her learning from her Masters to support midwives to practice within a model that values active client participation and satisfaction and reflective practice that supports midwives to explore the potential for improving quality of care and identifying risks without fear of blaming or shaming behaviours. She is an Adjunct Faculty at McMaster University and Toronto Metropolitan University as an Midwifery Education Program preceptor and an Adjunct Scientist with the McMaster Midwifery Research Centre (MMRC). Contact: rejiwunmi@midwivesofmississauga.ca

Panelist

Collingwood Well Baby Clinic

Bio: Natalie has been a practicing midwife since 2009 and has worn many hats including midwife, preceptor, practice partner, head midwife and most recently, Clinic Lead for a successful expanded midwifery care model since 2018.  We have been fortunate to recently receive an expansion as well to provide increased supports and services to our community. Links: www.collingwoodwellbabyclinic.com, www.midwivesnottawasaga.org. Contact: kirbyn@cgmh.on.ca.

Panelist

Adjunct Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry,, Western University, London, Ontario; Academic Practice Lead, Department of Midwifery, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario.

Bio: Lauren Columbus is the Academic Practice Lead with the Department of Midwifery and a Registered Midwife with the T.I.M.E. Program Expanded Midwifery Care Model at London Health Sciences Centre. She is also an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, as well as McMaster University. She is currently completing her thesis for her Masters of Health Professions Education at Maastricht University. Her areas of research and academic interest include quality assurance and quality improvement, simulation, team dynamics in birthing units, psychological safety in interprofessional teams, and improving Fetal Health Surveillance performance.

The Interprofessional Midwifery/Maternal-Fetal-Medicine Expanded (T.I.M.E.) Program is a unique and innovative model funded by the Ministry of Health that allows Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists to refer their patients to a team of midwives who can provide additional support and home-based care for families who could benefit from the holistic model of midwifery care. The midwifery team provides pager access, education, support and debriefing opportunities to patients, and continuity across the antenatal and postpartum spectrum of care. In the postpartum, when the parent and/or infant are discharged and stable, the midwives will be their primary care provider and provide home-based postpartum care for six weeks. This includes care such as pager access, routine tests and screens and infant feeding support, along with both well-person and well-baby care. 

Contact: lauren.columbus@lhsc.on.ca, Website: https://www.lhsc.on.ca/midwifery

Panelist

Lead Midwife, Well Newborn & Parent Clinic, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, Ontario

Bio: Lindsay MacDougall is the Lead Midwife of the Well Newborn & Parent Clinic at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, started in January 2022 as a partnership between Community Midwives of Kingston and KHSC and funded with a Schedule Q. She is a Practice Partner at Community Midwives of Kingston, former Head Midwife at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (2020-2023) and is currently completing a Masters of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation. She is a graduate of the McMaster MEP (2006). Contact: Lindsay.MacDougall@kingstonhsc.ca.

Panelist

Registered Midwife, Postnatal Home Care Program, Montfort Hospital, Ottawa, Canada

Bio: Chantal Bourbonnais is a Registered Midwife with the Midwifery Group of Ottawa, with admitting privileges at Montfort Hospital and Ottawa Birth and Wellness Center (2005-2022). She is now an employee midwife for the Postnatal Home Care Program at the Montfort Hospital established in 2018, and will discuss how midwives from the Ottawa region established a Postnatal Home Care Program at Montfort Hospital and the impact on qualifying birthing families, breastfeeding rates and workload on unit. Links: https://hopitalmontfort.com/en/care/family-birthing-centre (English); https://hopitalmontfort.com/fr/soins/centre-familial-de-naissance (français). Contact: chantalbourbonnais@montfort.on.ca

Panelist

Oak Valley Health Postpartum Village

Bio: I am a Registered Midwife, and have been specializing in postpartum care for the past three years as a Postpartum Coordinator Midwife within the Expanded Midwifery Care Model. Together with a robust interprofessional team at Oak Valley Health, we designed and implemented our Early Discharge Program in 2020. By the close of 2020, we quickly realized the need for postpartum primary care and opened our hospital based, midwifery- led Family and Baby Clinic to support our community. In addition, all physician patients and midwifery clients have access to our virtual Postpartum Village- an online resource created and supported by Oak Valley Health midwives. I have worked as a midwife in Durham/York regions since 2012. Link: https://www.oakvalleyhealth.ca/clinics-departments/childbirth-children/postpartum-village/. Contact: szaheer@oakvalleyhealth.ca.

“The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions”: Examining Evacuation Birth Policy in Ontario And The Influence of Health Systems’ Cultures On The Provision of Maternity Care For First Nations Peoples Birthing Outside Of Their Communities

Monday, May 8, 2023 – 1305h EST

Bio: Erika Campbell is a PhD candidate in Global Health at McMaster University. Her research interests include equity in the provision sexual and reproductive health services, as well as genocide and human rights studies within the context of healthcare. Erika aspires to be a public facing health systems and policy researcher. \ She is immensely grateful to Dr. Liz Darling and Dr. Karen Lawford for their mentorship and guidance throughout her doctoral degree. If you have questions about Erika’s presentation or would like to chat further about her research, please email her at campbe10@mcmaster.ca.

Project Description: This study uses documentary, survey, and interview data to map where First Nations peoples are being evacuated within the province of Ontario to give birth under the federal evacuation birth policy. As well, this study explores the influence of the dominate western culture within the federal and Ontario healthcare systems related to the provision of maternity care provided to First Nations peoples who are evacuated out of their communities to give birth.

Queering Midwifery: A Critical Narrative Inquiry Into The Experiences of Queer And Trans Midwifery Service-Users In Ontario

Thursday, May 11, 2023 – 1305h EST

Bio: Jen Goldberg (pronouns: they/she) is a queer Registered Midwife and PhD candidate in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Jen’s research interests include 2SLGBTQAI health and health equity, critical qualitative midwifery and health research, and using theory to examine social and political forces of health.

Jen’s doctoral research examines stories of queer, trans, and nonbinary people who have used midwifery services in Ontario. Using Critical Narrative Inquiry guided by post-structural feminist theory and queer theory, the project examines where and how heterocisnormative discourses are recycled and/or resisted within the narratives of birth and midwifery stories. For this work, Jen was awarded a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2022-24) and the Wayne F. Placek Grant (American Psychological Foundation 2022). Jen also led a project that examined Ontario midwives’ attitudes towards sexual and gender minorities, which included analysis to understand what shapes midwives’ beliefs regarding disclosure of patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). This project was funded through a Mentored Midwifery Research Grant through the Association of Ontario Midwives.

Jen holds a Master of Public Health in Family and Community Medicine with a Collaborative Specialization in Indigenous Health from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and is a member of Re:searching for 2SLGBTQ+ Health, a multidisciplinary team of queer, trans, and ally community-based researchers in Toronto who examine how 2SLGBTQAI+ people experience health and health care services.

Project Description: In this short presentation, I’ll provide an overview of my dissertation research, a qualitative interpretive study that uses critical narrative inquiry to examine how queer and trans people experience midwifery services in Ontario. I’ll describe the study’s rationale and design (theoretically informed methodology, and methods) and share some of the preliminary, and provisional, findings.

Contact: jen.goldberg@mail.utoronto.ca
Study webpage: www.queeringmidwifery.com
Research team: http://lgbtqhealth.ca/
Publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jennifer-Goldberg-3

Developing Canadian Research Priorities And Capacity – Describing The Landscape: A Preliminary Data Analysis From A Scoping Review

Friday, May 12, 2023 – 1305h EST

Bio: Emma Ruby is a first year medical student at the University of Ottawa who has been working with the McMaster Midwifery Research Centre as a research assistant for the past year. Prior to starting medical school, she had completed an Honours thesis project under the supervision of Dr. Beth Murray-Davis, which allowed her to explore clinical health research in the field of non-communicable diseases in pregnancy.

Research Interests: Emma hopes to pursue a medical career that focuses on maternal and infant health in clinical practice. She also hopes to dedicate time to perinatal health research with an emphasis on patient-centered care and improving health service provision.

Project Description: A scoping review approach was used to inform our understanding of the state of midwifery research in Canada. The scoping review utilized the Lancet et al. framework for quality maternal and newborn care to guide the categorization of the data. Strengths and gaps in research with respect to midwifery in Canada have been identified by the review. The findings yield important insights into midwifery focused research in Canada and areas of inquiry yet to be explored.

Developing Canadian Research Priorities And Capacity – Describing The Landscape: A Preliminary Data Analysis From A Scoping Review

Friday, May 12, 2023 – 1305h EST

Bio: Joanne Rack is a practicing midwife, research assistant at the McMaster Midwifery Research Centre, and PhD candidate at Bournemouth University. Her current research interests include understanding strengths and gaps in Canadian midwifery research, risk communication in pregnant people of advanced age; gender inclusive language in sexual and reproductive health; prevention, management and prevention of PPH.

Project Description: A scoping review approach was used to inform our understanding of the state of midwifery research in Canada. The scoping review utilized the Lancet et al. framework for quality maternal and newborn care to guide the categorization of the data. Strengths and gaps in research with respect to midwifery in Canada have been identified by the review. The findings yield important insights into midwifery focused research in Canada and areas of inquiry yet to be explored.

Developing Canadian Research Priorities And Capacity – Describing The Landscape: A Preliminary Data Analysis From A Scoping Review

Friday, May 12, 2023 – 1305h EST

Bio: Sofia Al Balkhi is a practicing midwife with the Community Midwives of Hamilton. She is currently a graduate student in the Midwifery Education Program. Sofia has previously worked at the Offord Centre for Child Studies as a research assistant and coordinator for over 6 years. She will combine her previous experience working in the field of mental health with her midwifery clinical experience. Her research interests include working with Arabic-speaking clients and determining mental health outcomes for clients in midwifery care. Email: albalkhioncall@gmail.com

Project Description: A scoping review approach was used to inform our understanding of the state of midwifery research in Canada. The scoping review utilized the Lancet et al. framework for quality maternal and newborn care to guide the categorization of the data. Strengths and gaps in research with respect to midwifery in Canada have been identified by the review. The findings yield important insights into midwifery focused research in Canada and areas of inquiry yet to be explored.