I am a  Registered Midwife and a Professor of Maternal Health and Criminal Justice. My research journey began when I moved into lecturing, which inspired a deep commitment to research that centres the voices and experiences of women who are so often marginalised in both healthcare and criminal justice systems. My work is grounded in qualitative methodologies, with a particular focus on ethnography and narrative approaches that allow for rich, in-depth exploration of lived experience. 

My research explores the intersection of motherhood, maternity care, and the criminal justice system, with a strong emphasis on understanding how incarceration shapes the lives of pregnant women and mothers. I work closely with voluntary sector organisations, policy makers, and women with lived experience to ensure my research has real-world impact. I am especially interested in how structural inequalities, stigma, and institutional practices affect care, identity, and outcomes for women involved in criminal justice systems. 

Much of my work is interdisciplinary, spanning midwifery, sociology, and criminology. I am committed to collaborative and creative approaches to knowledge exchange, including the use of arts-based methods and theatre, to communicate findings in ways that challenge policy and practice and promote social justice.