Talk to me about: Exploring genomics in midwifery, reviewing pregnancy genomic pathways, genomics and the role of the midwife.
Email: [email protected]
Denise is our lead midwife for genomics and has been employed as part of the GMSA since August 2022. She has worked as the midwifery lead for the regional transformation project since July 2021, exploring equity of access to genomic tests in pregnancy and beyond.
Whilst working as the team leader in a tertiary fetal medicine unit, Denise developed a drive to improve her midwifery knowledge around genomics to be able to support and be an advocate for the pregnant person and their family. She was fortunate to be able to work closely with consultants in fetal medicine and genetics to be able to explore what genomics means in midwifery care, providing direct support to families when unexpected news is delivered during pregnancy.
Following this she was seconded part time to the outpatient matron position and part time to the regional fetal genomic transformation project. Both roles provided the opportunity to further develop project management skills and how to explore the pregnant person’s care pathway, keeping a clinical focus for recommendations.
Now employed by the GMSA, Denise has linked with other regional lead midwives to identify further potential areas for exploration across England related to genomics in midwifery.
Denise aims to be as point of contact for midwives working in NEY who wish to develop their services to be able to support the genomic care pathway for pregnant people and their families. She is also completing a PGC in Genomics to further her knowledge in this exciting and growing area of healthcare.
Denise says ‘although this current role is non-clinical, my experience will help to support colleagues in the challenges of embedding genomics into midwifery care to improve the opportunities for pregnant people and their families. By developing a network of midwives across NEY, we will be able to share ideas and best practice to empower midwives to continue to be an advocate for the families they care for.’