2021 Award Winners
In 2021 the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust gave our coveted awards, including the Jean Davies Award, two Dora Opoku Awards and the Mary Cronk Award, to 20 midwives and students
The Iolanthe/RCM Jean Davies Award for addressing health inequalities
Kyia Omoshebi (with co-applicant Tamsin Bicknell) for improving the quality of maternity care for Black and Black-Mixed Womxn at Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Dora Opoku Student Award Winner
Applications for this award are invited from Black and Brown student midwives and was won by Rio Cole (pictured below) to attend a Breastfeeding London course. Rio is a student at the University of Hertfordshire.
Dora Opoku Midwives Award Winner
Applications for this award are invited from Black and Brown midwives and was won by Kulwant Kaur (Kelly) Shari (pictured below). She is a midwife at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and will use her award to study for a Diagnostic Assessment and Decision Making (DADM) CPD qualification at the University of Southampton, working towards a Post Graduate Certificate in Advanced Health Assessment and Prescribing.
Student Award Winners
This year Iolanthe selected seven Student Midwife Award Winners
Rhian Ward (pictured above) was awarded a student award to host a 'Biomechanics for Birth' course for student midwives at the University of Plymouth. She also won the Mary Cronk Award (see below).
Joyce Fogg (pictured above), a student at the University of the West of Scotland will be attending a Hypnobirthing Teacher Training Course.
Elisabeth Schwalbe (pictured above) is using her award to help fund her Return to Midwifery Practice, studying at the University of Central Lancashire.
Rebecca Murdoch (pictured above), a student at the University of the West of Scotland received a student award to help fund her phenomenological study into the psychological impact of ankyloglossia on the breastfeeding journey.
Megan Smith (pictured above) from the University of the West Scotland will use her funds to attend a Yoga for Pregnancy teacher training course.
Naomi Thistlethwaite (pictured above) from the University of the West of Scotland will be attending a Hypnobirthing Teacher Training Course
Mireia Manzano (pictured above), a student at London South Bank University, will attend a Perineal Suturing and Perineal Care Workshop.
Midwife Award Winners
Iolanthe gave awards to ten midwives in 2021
Ellie Ruding (pictured above), a midwife at Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, will study for an MSc Midwifery Critical Care (Level 7) module at the University of Central Lancashire.
Ella Radford, a bank midwife at St Thomas' Hospital,London, for an MSc project on how transgender men and non binary people experience maternity services.
Marley Hall (pictured above), a midwife in independent practice, will be using her funding for recording 'Better Birth' podcasts with experts from minority groups and creating a resource manual.
Katie Poljakovic (pictured above) will be hosting a Biomechanics for Birth course for midwives at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
Mhairi McLellan (pictured above) is undertaking a Masters Degree in Health Research at the University of Stirling.
Lauren Alexis (pictured above), a midwife at Frimley Park Hospital, will be addressing ethnic disparities in maternity care, through staff training and individualised support for families from marginalised communities .
Dr Sally Pezaro, (pictured above) is using her award to conduct a research study at Coventry University exploring UK midwives’ problematic substance use, health outcomes, work engagement, and leaving intentions one year into the COVID-19 lockdown.
Tamsyn Green (pictured above) will use her award to fund her online Masters study of Primary Maternity Care taught from Griffith University, Australia.
Tracy Beason (pictured above), a midwife at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust will be undertaking a Healthcare Incident Investigation training course.
Verónica Blanco Gutiérrez (pictured above), a midwife at Southampton, will be studying the impact of ethnicity on perinatal uirinary incontinence at the University of Bournemouth.
Mary Cronk Award
This award is given at the discretion of the trustees to an applicant for another award who is seeking funding for a purpose that aligns with the passions and values of the inspirational midwife, Mary Cronk. Rhian Ward (below) was awarded the Mary Cronk Award in addition to her student award.
All the Trustees at Iolanthe Midwifery warmly congratulate all our award winners and applaud you for all your hard work!
