Speakers

Professor Catherine Williamson

Imperial College London

Professor Catherine Nelson-Piercy

Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital

Professor David Williams

University College London Hospital

Luci Buxton

Lead Midwife for North Central London Maternal Medicine Network

Sharon Elder

Lead Midwife Southeast London Maternal Medicine network.

Dr Melanie Nana

King’s College London

Clare Boag

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Emma Walkinshaw

Sheffield

Jennifer Nightingale

Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust

Dr Siara Teelucksingh

Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Fran Neuberger

North Bristol NHS Trust

Dr Clare Mumby

Manchester Royal Infirmary
and St. Mary’s Hospital

Catherine Barlow

Lead Midwife for Maternal Medicine at Cambridge

Elizabeth Bennett Hayes

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)

Professor Catherine Williamson

Imperial College London

Catherine Williamson is Professor of Women’s Health at Imperial College London. She is also Consultant in Obstetric Medicine at Queen Charlotte’s, St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospitals. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a NIHR Senior Investigator. In her clinical practice she manages women with medical disorders in pregnancy. Her research focuses on the endocrine signals that influence alterations in bile acid, lipid and glucose homeostasis in normal and pathological pregnancies. She also studies the maternal and fetal aetiology, outcomes and management of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease and severe hyperemesis gravidarum.

Professor Catherine Nelson-Piercy

Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital

Catherine Nelson-Piercy is a Consultant Obstetric Physician at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ Hospitals Trust and Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London. In 2010 she was awarded the title of Professor of Obstetric Medicine at King’s College London. Her undergraduate studies were at King’s College, Cambridge University and St Bartholomew’s Hospital. She trained as a physician, and was taught Obstetric Medicine by Professor Michael de Swiet.

Professor Nelson-Piercy is past President of the International Society of Obstetric Medicine (ISOM). She was founding co-editor in chief of the journal ‘Obstetric Medicine: the medicine of pregnancy.’

Professor Nelson-Piercy has been involved in the development of several evidence-based National Guidelines notably for “Contraception in Women with Heart Disease”, BTS / SIGN “Asthma in Pregnancy” and RCOG Green top guidelines on “Reducing the risk of thromboembolism during pregnancy, birth & the puerperium” and ‘Management of nausea vomiting of pregnancy and hyperemesis gravidarum”. She has over 250 publications and has edited five books and written the successful Handbook of Obstetric Medicine, now in its sixth edition. She is also one of the central physician assessors for the UK Confidential maternal deaths enquiry.

Professor David Williams

University College London Hospital

Professor Williams is an obstetric physician at the Institute for Women’s Health, University College London Hospital. He leads a multi-disciplinary team that provides clinical care for pregnant women with medical disorders. Originally trained as a nephrologist, he has particular expertise in kidney disease and hypertension in pregnancy. As an obstetric physician he developed the concept that physiological changes in pregnancy lead to gestational syndromes that in turn unmask a predisposition to disease in later life. His research group investigate the pathophysiology and management of pre-eclampsia, acute fatty liver of pregnancy, paternal genetic and epigenetic factors influencing fetal growth and immune causes of recurrent pregnancy loss. He was chairman of the UK NICE guideline on intrapartum management of medical disorders in pregnancy and is current chairman of the Wellbeing of Women Research Advisory Committee.

Luci Buxton

Lead Midwife for North Central London Maternal Medicine Network

Co-chair of National Maternal Medicine Network Midwifery Forum

Luci is the Lead Midwife for the North Central London Maternal Medicine Network. She qualified as a midwife in 2011 and has worked through a variety of roles including Clinical Practice Facilitator in the Maternity Education team, Labour Ward co-ordinator and Quality and Safety Midwifery lead for North Central London Local Maternity and Neonatal System.

Luci commenced in her current role in January 2022. She is passionate about developing and highlighting the role of the midwife in maternal medicine and championing equity of care and services. Within her role as co-chair of the national Maternal Medicine network midwifery forum, she helps to facilitate the sharing of best practice and service development whilst encouraging peer support and advocating for the role of the midwife within maternal medicine.

Sharon Elder

Lead Midwife Southeast London Maternal Medicine network

Sharon Elder is the Lead Midwife of the Southeast London Maternal Medicine Network, (MMN)) she is based at the Maternal Medicine Centre at St Thomas Hospital, London. Sharon is a Registered Nurse, Registered Midwife, Professional Midwifery Advocate and a Non-Medical Prescriber as part of MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice.

Since qualifying as a midwife in 1995 she has amassed a significant amount of experience supporting people with complex medical conditions during pregnancy and in the postnatal period. This includes roles as Lead Midwife in a specialist haemoglobinopathies clinic, Delivery suite co-ordinator, Lead fetal monitoring midwife, Consultant midwife for complex care, Supervisor of Midwives and Professional Midwifery Advocate.
Sharon believes midwives are key to achieving the MMN vision of exceptional quality care for all through, excellent experience and optimal outcomes .She is committed to equity and improving maternal health outcomes, she has contributed to the 2021 Turning the Tide Report and engages with
Five X More and other community groups who also share this commitment.

Melanie Nana

Melanie Nana is an NIHR clinical research fellow and obstetric medicine registrar and at King’s College London. She holds an endocrinology national training number in Wales but moved to London in 2020 to undertake the clinical fellowship at St. Thomas’ Hospital during which time she was taught obstetric medicine by Professor Nelson-Piercy and completed the Royal College of Physicians credential in Obstetric Medicine. She is the current RCP Trainee Committee Co-Chair.

Melanie has several publications related to obstetric medicine and is co-author of the European Guideline for Liver Disease and Pregnancy and upcoming RCOG Management of Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy and Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

She was awarded an NIHR research training fellowship in 2021. Her PhD, supervised by Professor Williamson, focusses on the nutritional status of women with hyperemesis gravidarum and the neurodevelopmental and metabolic consequences for their children.

Clare Boag

Consultant Midwife: Maternal Medicine. The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Co-chair of National Maternal Medicine Network Midwifery Forum.

Clare is the Consultant Midwife for Maternal Medicine at Newcastle Hospitals and the Lead Midwife for Northeast and North Cumbria Maternal Medicine Network. Her career as a midwife commenced in 1998 since then, Clare has worked in a variety of clinical midwifery roles within acute and community settings, reproductive health research, midwifery education and workforce development.
Clare works within a multidisciplinary maternal medicine team, supporting the care of women and birthing people with complex medical needs. She is committed to ensuring that women and birthing people have a positive perinatal experience and adaptation to parenthood.
Through her role as co-chair of the National Maternal Medicine Network Midwifery Forum, Clare aims to facilitate the sharing of best practice to support the national implementation of maternal medicine networks. Clare believes that midwives are key members of the multidisciplinary team, and have an important role in promoting optimal long-term health for people who access maternal medicine services during pregnancy.

Dr Emma Walkinshaw

Emma trained at the University of Sheffield and qualified in 2004. She completed her training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in South Yorkshire and was appointed as a Consultant Physician in 2018. Emma completed her obstetric physician training at Guys and St Thomas’s Hospital in 2023.

Emma has a special interest in diabetes and pregnancy and runs the joint antenatal diabetes clinic in Sheffield. She is passionate about preconception counselling and equity of health care. She also has an interest in medical education.

Jennifer Nightingale MSc NMP

Advanced Nurse Practitioner –Epilepsy

Jen has worked in the field of Epilepsy since 1999 completing a Masters in Epileptology in 2004. Jen has worked as an epilepsy CNS/ANP in many of London’s teaching hospitals including Kings, UCH, The Royal Free and Barts she is currently an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Trust.

Jen has a particular interest in the diagnosis and management of first seizures and care of pregnant women with epilepsy

Dr. Siara Teelucksingh

Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Dr. Siara Teelucksingh is a Consultant Acute and General Physician at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Consultant Obstetric Physician for the South West London and Surrey Heartlands Maternal Medicine Network.

Siara completed her undergraduate training at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago and her postgraduate training in the London deanery.

Siara has a passion for acute care delivery and service design in maternity, and has led on education initiatives including multidisciplinary simulation training, hosting the PACES examination cycles and has delivered Obstetric Medicine themed lectures for the Royal College of Physicians.

Siara’s commitment extends to global health, where she has initiated a groundbreaking project to introduce Obstetric Medicine to the West Indies.

Dr Francesca Neuberger

MBChB FRCP (UK) | North Bristol NHS Trust

Fran is an Acute and Obstetric Physician at North Bristol NHS Trust and is Obstetric Physician lead for the Southwest Maternal Medicine Network, working closely with obstetric teams to deliver care for pregnant women with pre-existing medical conditions, and for those who develop medical complications in pregnancy. She has a keen interest in medical education and runs a multidisciplinary simulation course focussing on medical problems in pregnancy

Dr Clare Mumby

Manchester Royal Infirmary and St. Mary’s Hospital

Consultant Physician Obstetric Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology

Catherine Barlow

Lead Midwife for Maternal Medicine at Cambridge

Catherine is a dual registered nurse/midwife with a background in critical care nursing. She’s passionate about advanced clinical practice in midwifery, maternal critical care and facilitating safe and effective care in complex pregnancies. She is the current Lead Midwife for Maternal Medicine at Cambridge and manages the Obstetric High Dependency Unit there.

Elizabeth Bennett Hayes

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW)

I began my nurse training at St. Thomas’ Hospital and specialised in the field of Intensive Care at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. I furthered my knowledge in the field and moved to the Midlands, spending a total of 14 years in ITU. In 2012, I changed pathways and began my midwifery career. My background knowledge and experience have been the foundation to my Midwifery career, enabling me to disseminate my knowledge both clinically and through education. In 2017 I undertook my MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) and now lead a team of midwives at a large tertiary teaching hospital in the West Midlands, who provide enhanced maternal care to women who have pre-existing co-morbidities or experience an acute deterioration in health. As an ACP I am able to provide expert clinical care, support staff, educate colleagues / students and evaluate the results of service implementation. I also link with colleagues nationally to deliver teaching in Enhanced Maternal Care / Maternal Medicine. NHSE enables me to support Midwives who are also embarking upon the ACP route and provide information guidance to organisations who want to support their staff on this career pathway.