Speakers

Juliet is Specialist Midwife for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, co-chairs the National FGM Health Network, and is undertaking a Doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship/PhD at Nottingham University.

Juliet set up a community-based FGM clinic for non-pregnant women in 2008, pioneering a holistic model of woman-centred care integrating bilingual Health Advocates and Psychotherapists, winning a Guardian Public Service Award in 2011.

She designed a Royal College of Midwives (RCM) accredited FGM e-learning package and trained multiple healthcare professionals; and in 2014  was seconded to the Department of Health’s FGM Prevention Programme in 2014.

She has published in several journals, presented to a WHO FGM expert consultation,  and was made an RCM Fellow in 2021.

Dr Caroline Childs is Programme Lead of the BM6 medicine course, a programme designed to widen participation in medicine, and Nutrition and Metabolism subject lead in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr Childs' research focuses on diet and its links with immune function, inflammatory status, immunosenescence and the gut microbiome.

Kimberley-Ann Crossan (Kim) is a Registered midwife since 2012 and Registered Nurse since 2009, who completed her studies in the United Kingdom.
Kim’s midwifery career has covered the full scope of midwifery since qualifying. She has worked in a variety of settings, from community midwifery through to tertiary/quaternary units since moving to Western Australia. She has a passion for education where she was also a clinical facilitator within the clinical units, but also a clinical midwife with a passion with caring for women in maternity assessment units, birth suite and postnatal wards.
Kim is currently doing her Masters, which will lead onto a PhD, which is investigating the ever growing contemporary topic of gender neutral language within the healthcare setting.

Vera has been supporting women as a birth and postpartum Doula since 2008 with particular focus on antenatal education and postpartum recovery including breastfeeding support. She is also a qualified yoga therapist specialising in female health (teaching from 2004 and holding teaching diplomas across several disciplines such as BWY, Birthlight Pregnancy and postpartum, Yoga Therapy, Restorative and Children Yoga). She has an extensive training and practice in meditation, mindfulness, yoga nidra and clinical hypnosis. Prior to her working in holistic space, Vera had a successful 21 year career in financial services in leadership positions across top financial organisations.

Elizabeth, Trudy and Cheryl developed and established the innovative and collaborative Occupational Therapy and Maternal Medicine Midwife ante-natal service in 2015.  The service was developed to better support the needs of birthing people with physical and/or sensory impairments accessing ante-natal services at St. George’s Hospital, London, aiming to enhance and empower their early parenting experiences.  In 2016 Elizabeth, Trudy and Cheryl won a Health Innovation Network award, which recognised the innovative nature of the service development. Since then they have spoken at many different midwifery and occupational therapy conferences and forums, sharing their experiences of setting up the service.

Worked within the NHS for over 20 years. Currently working at Bedford Hospital as the Lead Professional Midwifery Advocate.

James is a biochemist and immunologist, with over 30 years’ experience in developing tests and technologies for medical diagnostics. He started out developing hormone assays for IVF and assisted conception, working with Bourne Hall clinic, where the first “test-tube” baby was conceived. Later, he joined Novo Nordisk and started working in the diabetes field. James now has his own company, Digostics, which has developed and recently launched the world’s first home test kit for performing the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test - GTT@home. With a background in reproductive endocrinology and diabetes, his work now brings these together in testing for gestational diabetes.

Worked within the NHS for 10 years. Currently working at Luton & Dunstable Hospital as the Lead Professional Midwifery Advocate.

Letizia Tufari, known as Leti, commenced her professional journey in the corporate realm within the pharmaceutical industry, navigating roles in both the US and the UK. With over a decade of experience as a doula, Leti transitioned into doula work motivated by her transformative birthing experiences. Passionately guiding women toward joyful motherhood, she is dedicated to ensuring every woman encounters a positive birthing journey. Leti leverages her personal experiences and extensive support work, including childbirth education, to empower informed decisions, instil confidence, and advocate for clients, eradicating any sense of failure. She perceives each birth as a unique miracle, emphasizing the vital role of support and nurture in this vulnerable time, creating a profound and positive impact.

Kathy Whyte, founder of Nurture Mum, is a nutritionist and former midwife with a keen interest in optimising health before, during and following pregnancy. The first 1000+ days (preconception, through pregnancy to 2 years) of a child’s life dictate and set the signposts for future health. She has a keen interest in the early origins of health, promoting evidence based, practical meaningful advice and support from preconception, through pregnancy, feeding and weaning. Kathy is helping change perceptions of pregnancy, health, and society’s response to the deepening crisis in public health and wellbeing. The first 1000+ days of life is the greatest opportunity there is to develop healthy lives, from the very beginning.

Elizabeth, Trudy and Cheryl developed and established the innovative and collaborative Occupational Therapy and Maternal Medicine Midwife ante-natal service in 2015.  The service was developed to better support the needs of birthing people with physical and/or sensory impairments accessing ante-natal services at St. George’s Hospital, London, aiming to enhance and empower their early parenting experiences.  In 2016 Elizabeth, Trudy and Cheryl won a Health Innovation Network award, which recognised the innovative nature of the service development. Since then they have spoken at many different midwifery and occupational therapy conferences and forums, sharing their experiences of setting up the service.