Dr Siobhán Gillespie

Dr Siobhán Gillespie is a midwife and clinical researcher with a background in maternity care, applied health research and implementation.

She has held a range of clinical and specialist midwifery roles and completed both an MSc in Clinical Research and a PhD at the University of Sheffield.

Her PhD explored the implementation of healthcare facility and community-based Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in diverse socio-economic settings, including the development of a Community KMC implementation toolkit.

Prior to joining the ARC, Siobhán worked across clinical and academic settings, including as a perineal trauma specialist midwife, a research midwife, and a global health research associate. Most recently, she worked with the Tommy’s National Centre for Maternity Improvement, supporting the implementation and digital development of a clinical decision support tool designed to reduce disparities in maternity care and improve outcomes.

She has experience across qualitative research, systematic reviews, evidence synthesis and implementation research.

Siobhán is committed to addressing inequalities and promoting equitable maternity care and outcomes for women and families, regardless of their background or circumstances.

She has experience of working collaboratively with communities to co-develop health and implementation strategies that reflect their culture, beliefs and experiences, and is committed to building on this approach. Her work includes translating evidence into practice and supporting the effective implementation of interventions within health and care services.

Areas of research interest and focus:

• Maternity inequalities and disparities
• Barriers to accessing maternity services
• Improving outcomes for women, babies and families
• Qualitative research and evidence synthesis
• Public and patient involvement and collaboration in research
• Community co-development of culturally appropriate clinical guidelines