Professor Siobhan Quenby

University of Warwick (Project Lead), Director of the Biomedical Research Unit in Reproductive Health at Warwick Medical School, and co-director of the Centre for Early Life

Siobhan is a Professor of Obstetrics at Warwick University and consultant obstetrician based at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (Project Partner). Siobhan specializes in recurrent miscarriage, preterm births, heart disease and obesity in pregnancy and brings extensive experience in large-scale clinical trials and translational research.

As a practicing clinician, Siobhan has firsthand experience of supporting couples to have a healthy pregnancy and child. This includes pre-conceptual care and intensive care both in early pregnancy and antenatally. Siobhan overs support and guidance internationally and is Deputy Director of Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research.

Professor Dieter Wolke

University of Warwick (Project Lead), Department of Psychology (Lead: Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Group) and Centre for Early Life, Warwick Medical School

Dieter is a Professor in Developmental Psychology and Individual Differences with expertise in how early conditions create inequality throughout life. Including investigating how early influences such as being born preterm affect brain and psychological development and life chances.

He is a member of advocacy groups including Glance – Global Alliance for newborn care and author of more than 400 peer-reviewed articles and a Highly cited researcher (#HighlyCited2020). He was awarded the Distinguished Contribution to Developmental Psychology Award by the British Psychological Society in 2020.

Professor Ann Phoenix

Professor of Psychosocial Studies at University College London (Lead proposal partner)

Ann’s research interests are psychosocial, including motherhood, social identities, young people, racialization, and gender. Recently funded research projects include working with visibly ethnically mixed households and language brokering in transnational families.

Ann is a Fellow of the British Academy and UK’s National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences as well as a member of the Critical Childhood Studies Research Group. Ann is passionate about community engagement and involving families in decision making. Published work includes: Black, white, or mixed race? Race and racism in the lives of young people of mixed parentage and Parenting and ethnicity.

Professor Debra Bick

Professor of Clinical Trials in Maternal Health at the University of Warwick

Debra's role is to lead on a new maternity research theme within Warwick Clinical Trials Unit and provide support to develop and support research alongside colleagues at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwick (UHCW). Her research programme focuses on the impact of pregnancy and birth on maternal, and infant physical and psychological health, the interest in this area increasing due to evidence of impact on health over the life-course.

In addition to her primary research, she has published systematic reviews on a range of relevant topics. Debra is the Editor in Chief of the journal ‘Midwifery', Chair of the RCOG intrapartum care clinical studies group, and a member of several national NIHR, NHSE, NMPA advisory groups and panels.

Dr Emma Lucas

Senior Research Fellow, Warwick Medical School

Dr Emma Lucas is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Warwick Medical School, in the laboratory of Professor Jan Brosens. Her research interests have focussed on the roles of stem cells and epigenetics in reproduction.

Using state-of-the-art sequencing and in vitro modelling approaches, her present research aims to understand the transcriptomic and epigenetic regulation of the endometrium, to try and understand how embryo implantation really works and how it goes wrong, leading to miscarriage and other pregnancy disorders, such as preterm birth.

Professor Olanrewaju Sorinola

Professor at Warwick Medical School and Consultant Urogynaecologist and Obstetrician at Warwick Hospital

Olanrewaju is a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK and a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. He was Chair of the International Urogynaecological Association Public Relations Committee (2015-2020), a role that saw him educating people worldwide on pelvic floor problems. He has published extensively in urogynaecology and obstetrics and been an invited speaker at various national and international conferences. He is Chair of Warwick Medical School Attainment Gap Group exploring differential attainment between ethnic groups. He is a member of the University Social Inclusion Committee and the UK Medical Schools Council Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee focused on inclusivity and achieving excellence for all.

Professor Richard Hastings

Professor and Cerebra Chair of Family Research in the Centre for Educational Development Appraisal and Research

Richard's research interests primarily focus on children and young people with intellectual disability or autism and their families. He is an advisor to Sibs and to Ambitious About Autism.

Richard is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research and is an associate editor or on the editorial board for 12 other journals. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Academy of Social Sciences.

Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent

Chief Midwifery Officer, NHS England

Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent has worked as a midwife and a nurse and held senior positions in clinical practice, education, leadership and management including Director of Midwifery and Nursing positions for Women’s and Children’s services at Imperial College Healthcare Trust & Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. She is National Maternity Safety Champion for the Department of Health and also visiting Professor of Midwifery at Kings College London and London South Bank University. Her experience has seen her leading and influencing national maternity standards and guidance. She is a member of the British Journal of Midwifery editorial board and until recently was an active member of the Maternity and Newborn Forum at the Royal Society of Medicine. She has joined the Tommy’s Charity National Advisory Board as Midwifery advisor.

Professor Kamlesh Khunti

Director, Centre for BME Health, University of Leicester

Kamlesh is Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester. He is Co-Director of the Leicester Diabetes Centre (UK) and leads a research group that is currently working on the early identification of, and interventions with, people who have diabetes or are at increased risk of developing diabetes.

Professor Kiran Patel

Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

Kiran is a practising Consultant Cardiologist and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London). He has held several senior NHS leadership positions, managing significant transformational change not only in cardiac services but as Clinical Director at West Midlands Strategic Health authority, Medical Director for West Mercia Primary Care Trust Cluster, Good Hope hospital, and Medical Director for NHS England.

He currently sits on the board of the BMJ group to drive globalisation of education and training to achieve its mission of a healthier world. He is currently leading work on workforce development and quality improvement in the NHS.

Professor Kulbir Shergill

Director of Social Inclusion at the University of Warwick

Kulbir Shergill leads on Social Inclusion, and she joined the University of Warwick in 2019. Kulbir is a diversity and inclusion professional with over 20 years experience across various sectors. She achieves change on issues of diversity and inclusion through effective relationship building and engagement.

Kulbir has worked with a wide range of organisations including KPMG, Axa Investments, Law Society Local Government and major third sector organisations. She has helped them to achieve recognition for providing inclusive services and for being employers of choice.

Tinuke Awe

Tinuke is the co-founder of the #fivexmore campaign. She is mum to a two-year-old boy and a baby girl who is 9 months old. She is the woman behind @mumsandtea which is a platform that hosts fun events for mums, a safe space online for mums to come together and support one another as well as a newly launched podcast.

#fivexmore was established to advocate to empower women with the six steps they can take to support themselves during pregnancy and labour as well as the #fivexmore selfie to raise awareness of the statistics and the petition to the Government to improve maternity outcomes for Black women.

Clo (Rebecca) Abe

Clo is the co-founder of the #fivexmore campaign. She is mum to two boys who are 5 and 3 and the founder of @_Prosperitys a maternal wellbeing social enterprise which supports Black and south Asians mums across the UK. Clo works in Fetal Medicine/Day Assessment Unit in a South London hospital and is also the co-chair for Lambeth and St Thomas hospital Maternity Voice Partnerships. Clo has a passion for Black and South Asians women’s wellbeing during pregnancy and a year after birth.

www.fivexmore.com