2023 Award Winners
In 2023 the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust gave our coveted awards, including the innaugural Norah Faith Coniam Award, the Jean Davies Award, two Dora Opoku Awards and the Mary Cronk Award, to 15 midwives and students. This year the Trustees chose not to award a Dora Opoku Student Award, but instead to award two Dora Opoku Midwives Awards.
The 2023 Iolanthe/Royal College of Midwives Jean Davies Award for addressing health inequalities goes to:
Sarah Esegbona-Adeigbe, (above), a midwifery lecturer at London Southbank University, who will use her award to support a qualitative study of migrant Nigerian mothers’ and midwives’ perceptions of cultural competency in antenatal care, as part of her PhD studies.
The winner of one of two 2023 Dora Opoku Award for Black and Brown midwives is:
Heba Farajallah, (above), a midwife at NHS Grampian, who will use her funding to research maternity care experiences of asylum-seeking and refugee women in Scotland, as part of her PhD studies at the University of Aberdeen.
The winner of one of two 2023 Dora Opoku Award for Black and Brown midwives is:
Roselyn Bunhu, (above), a midwife with the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, who will use her award funds to film content for a free Black Women's Pregnancy Hub web app.
The 2023 Mary Cronk Award (to an applicant for another award whose project aligns with Mary's passions and values) goes to:
Magdalena Bremner, (above), whose Iolanthe application will support her to put on a Breech Birth Study Day for her colleagues at the University of the West of Scotland.
The innaugural Norah Faith Coniam Award (for a project addressing issues around baby loss and bereavement, including early pregnancy loss) goes to:
Lauren Trepte, (above), a clinical research team leader at West Middlesex University Hospital, who will use her award to research the use of virtual reality headsets as a support method during clinical procedures associated with pregnancy loss, as part of her Masters of Research in Womens Health and Reproductive Science.
The five winners of Iolanthe's Student Awards are:
Emma Frazer, (above), of Kingston University, whose award will support her to attend a homebirth placement in rural Cornwall.
Kayty Richards, (above), President of the Midwifery Society at the University of Derby, whose award will enable the Society to offer a Power of Compassionate Care course free to students, with some extra places for local midwives.
Keira Georgeson, (above), who will use their award to help fund the University of South Wales Midwifery Society to host the 2023 All Wales Student Midwife Conference.
Magdalena Bremner, (above), whose award will fund a Breech Birth Study Day for her colleagues at the University of the West of Scotland. Magdalena has also been given the 2023 Mary Cronk Award.
Rachel Grace Symon, (above), Vice President of the Midwifery Society at Robert Gordon University, will use her funding to attend a British Sign Language course at the University of Glasgow, in order to better support Deaf birthing families.
The six Iolanthe Midwives Award Winners are:
Adeyemi Johnson, (above), an Undergraduate Teaching Fellow/Perineal clinic midwife at Croyden University Hospital, whose award will support her Masters research into the experience of women with perineal wound infections who access a hospital based perineal clinic.
Emilie Edwards, (above), a midwifery lecturer at Middlesex University, will use her funding to undertake the Calibre Leadership Programme at Imperial College London, to support her advocacy role for Neurodivergent people in Higher Education Institutions and the NHS.
Hannah King, (above), Birth Suite Leader at East Lancashire Hospital Trust, will use her funding to provide a Human Rights in Birth study day for her colleagues, covering reproductive justice and a rights-based approach to care delivery.
Katie Heath, (above), Assistant Service Manager for Maternity and Neonates at East Lothian NHS, will use her award to offer a Biomechanics for Birth Professionals workshop to her colleagues, aiming to embed a biomechanics focus in supporting women and birthing people with challenging labours.
Leonie Wintercrane, (above), a community midwife with North Bristol NHS Trust, who will use her funds to improve accessible antenatal education for Migrant women, by creating a set of translated resources that will assist midwives to provide women with vital information about pregnancy, childbirth and looking after their babies.
Rebecca Heorton (above), Safeguarding Midwife at Guys and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, will use her award to fund the final year of her MSC in Advanced Child Protection.
All the Trustees and staff at Iolanthe Midwifery Trust send our congratulations to this year's winners.
