Joy Kemp is recognised as an expert in the field of global midwifery and is currently serving as an International Midwife Specialist with the United Nations in Bangladesh.  From 2013-2023 she was Global Professional Advisor for the Royal College of Midwives, leading the RCM’s twinning partnerships in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal and Uganda.  Prior to that, Joy had an academic career as a Senior Lecturer, Programme Director, and Researcher, as well as a clinical midwife in Kent, where she contributed to the development of a freestanding midwife-led unit.  Joy’s humanitarian work spans over a decade, focusing on maternal and newborn health services for vulnerable populations in challenging and fragile settings worldwide.

Joy’s significant contributions to midwifery knowledge include the capacity-building of professional midwives’ associations, enabling them to develop the organisational structures and systems they need to serve their members and to position and equip midwives for their pivotal role in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health and gender equality. Joy is the lead author of the authoritative book “Global Midwifery: Principles, Policy and Practice,” which highlights the role of skilled professional midwives in improving maternal and newborn health outcomes and in contributing to achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Joy has also led, and contributed to, many other publications. Joy’s personal experience with dyslexia has led her to take a special interest in supporting neurodiverse midwives and others in achieving career success.