Healthcare Sciences' Professor returns from Sydney Lecture Tour

Professor Billie Hunter was invited by the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) for Women and Babies in Sydney, which is linked to the University of Sydney, to do a lecture tour of Sydney, Australia last month.

Billie was the main speaker at the RPA Midwifery Conference on 1^st November 2014, where she gave the keynote address: 'Everyday engagement in extraordinary events: the importance of emotions in maternity care' and also gave the closing address about the importance of inter-professional working.

Professor Hunter is the School's Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Professor of Midwifery. She was the first RCM Chair of Midwifery in the UK. Her current research is focused on enhancing the emotional support and communication skills of midwives and other health care workers, in order to improve the quality of care delivery and user experiences. This lecture tour demonstrates her international reputation for expertise on the delivery of maternal healthcare.

Billie spent the week leading up to the conference running workshops and seminars with clinical staff at RPA (midwives, nurses and doctors). These sessions drew on her current and recent research studies: inter-professional teamworking in maternity care and resilience in the midwifery workforce. The sessions were very well attended and enthusiastically received. Shelley Reid, who organised the lecture tour, said "we are grateful to Billie for coming so far and contributing so much. The conference was very successful and we got very positive feedback!"

Billie said: 

"This visit was a great opportunity for me to share my research findings and ideas with colleagues on the other side of the world. I was honoured to have been selected by Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for Women and Babies and University of Sydney to be their international speaker this year, and to follow in the footsteps of some very distinguished academics. 

It was very interesting to spend time with clinical colleagues, and I was struck by how many experiences of UK midwives resonated with those of Australian midwives. I've come away with many new contacts and ideas for future research collaboration. My thanks to the School  supporting the visit and to my colleagues for fielding some of my work while I was away - the only downside was leaving Sydney basking in 25 degree sunshine for a damp and cold Cardiff!"