Thinking about a PhD? Join our Research Team webinar to discover how to successfully start a PhD.

The webinar will begin with presentations from midwives at different stages of their research careers. Holly Jenkins, PhD student at Napier University, and Dr Charlotte Roche, Consultant Midwife at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, will share their personal experiences of preparing for and undertaking doctoral research. They will discuss topics including securing funding, choosing a university and research topic, and the support that helped them take the next step towards a PhD.

Speakers

Dr Kirstie Coxon, Reader in Maternity Care, University of Lancashire

Dr Kirstie Coxon is Reader in Maternity Care in the REACH (Research in Childbirth and Health) group at University of Lancashire, UK, part of the THRIVE research centre within INTERRELATE research institute.

A nurse and midwife by clinical background, she has over 25 years’ experience in maternity care research, with particular interests in labour and birth, decision-making, social science theories of risk and risk communication, implementation science and improving women and family experiences of maternity care.

She has broad methodological skills, with experience of process evaluation, mixed methods, qualitative research, evidence synthesis and complex intervention development, and has supervised numerous masters and doctoral researchers. Kirstie is an experienced doctoral supervisor and examiner and previously led a postgraduate research degree programme. She is committed to doing research that meets priorities of service users and staff, to supporting the development of maternity researchers and fostering international collaboration in labour and birth research.

Zamira Figuero, Research Manager, Wellbeing of Women

Zamira manages the research funding schemes and supports a portfolio of women’s health research across the UK. She oversees the research funding process from funding call development and peer review through to award management, monitoring and impact. Zamira also leads the charity’s patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) work, helping to embed lived experience in research funding decisions. She is particularly passionate about inclusive research practices, meaningful public involvement and improving processes to help fund high-quality research that makes a difference to women’s health.

Holly Jenkins, PhD student, Napier University

After training as a midwife across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Holly worked in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, where she developed a strong appreciation for community-based, person-centred maternity care. She later joined NHS Lothian’s Homebirth Team, which further inspired her interest in birth physiology, women’s experiences, and models of continuity of carer. Alongside her role as a community midwife in Lothian, Holly is a Chief Scientist Office Clinical Academic Fellow and PhD candidate. Her research examines the political and policy influences shaping the implementation of midwifery continuity of carer in Scotland, with the goal of supporting evidence-informed policy and practice.

Dr Claire O’Neill, Research  Development Advisor, Health and Care Research Wales Faculty

Dr Claire O’Neill is a Research Development Advisor for the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty supporting Faculty members with personal award applications and over the life of their awards. She has over 20 years experience in health research and has worked for over 15 years in clinical trials research.

Tom Pratt, Programme Lead, NIHR Academy

Tom is Programme Lead at the NIHR Academy working in the Personal Awards Team that manages career development awards for people from all professional backgrounds.

Dr Hannah Rayment-Jones, NIHR Advanced Research Fellow, King’s College London, Department of Women and Children’s Health

Dr Hannah Rayment-Jones is a midwife and NIHR Advanced Research Fellow at King’s College London. She spent ten years working in clinical midwifery before moving into teaching and research, completing her PhD through an NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship in 2021. Her research focuses on inequalities in maternal and child health, particularly among women experiencing social disadvantage and immigration-related restrictions. She uses mixed methods, including realist approaches and linked routine health data, alongside participatory research and community engagement to understand inequalities and inform improvements in maternity care, policy and practice. Hannah has progressed through the NIHR fellowship pathway and has extensive experience of supervising and mentoring postgraduate and doctoral researchers. In January 2027, she will take up a Reader position in Maternal and Child Health at City St George’s, University of London.

LinkedIn dr-hannah-rayment-jones-a96342107

Charlotte Roche, Consultant Midwife at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and NIHR Research Specialty Lead for Reproductive Health and Childbirth in the South West Peninsula.

As the first Consultant Midwife in Devon, she provides strategic leadership across public health and research, shaping regional priorities for reproductive health studies and strengthening research delivery.

With seventeen years’ experience spanning clinical practice, education, research, and industry, Charlotte brings a cross‑sector perspective to improving research pathways and accelerating innovation. An NIHR fellow with an MA in Research Methods, she is a committed ambassador for clinical academic careers in midwifery.

Her PhD examined the social determinants of health and the public health role of caseloading midwives during COVID‑19, informing her current work co‑designing services for women and families facing social complexity. Charlotte received the Iolanthe Midwifery Research Fellowship in 2022, which supported the completion of her PhD.