Research Team

The following team are currently preparing funding bids for future research:

• Shawn Walker, NIHR Advanced Fellow, Honorary Consultant Midwife and OptiBreech Chief Investigator, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Shawn.Walker@imperial.ac.uk   
• Andrew Copas, Professor of Clinical Trials in Global Health, MRC Clinical Trials Unit, UCL
• Stavros Petrou, Professor of Health Economics, Oxford
• Kate Walker, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, University of Nottingham
• Debra Bick, Professor of Clinical Trials in Maternal Health, Warwick Clinical Trials Unit
• Kate Stringer, Consultant Midwife and Implementation Lead, Surrey and Sussex Hospitals
• Rosemary Townsend, Senior Clinical Fellow in Obstetrics, University of Edinburgh
• Siân Davies, Perinatal Psychologist and PPIE Lead
• Andrew Brown, Consultant Obstetrician and Skills Training Lead, NHS Lothian
• Amy Meadowcroft, Breech Specialist Midwife and NIHR PCAF, Oldham

Current Cohort Principal Investigators

• Consultant Midwife Emma Spillane
• Consultant Obstetrician Sabrina Das
• Clinical Lead Midwife Kate Stringer & Consultant Obstetrician Avni Batish
• Consultant Midwife Louisa Davidson
• Consultant Obstetrician Helen Le Grys
• Practice Development Midwife Lenka Magurova
• Midwife Amy Meadowcroft
• Birth Choices Lead Erin Bradley-Scott

OptiBreech 1 and Pilot Trial Steering Committee:

• Professor Soo Downe, Chair
• Mr Kim Hinshaw

Lay Research Team Members

Siân Davies, Research Assistant and PPIE Lead. “My name is Siân, I joined the OptiBreech team in 2022 as a Research Assistant and more recently my role has evolved into a PPIE co-ordinator. My professional background is I am a Chartered Psychologist working in perinatal and infant health and my personal background is my youngest child ended up breech presenting. Both my professional and personal interests and experiences intersect at wanting to improve perinatal choice to ensure all women and birthing people feel their wishes are supported by their care team. “

Nimisha Johnstone, Participant and Public Involvement and Engagement co-Lead.

Sarah Hunter, Lead lay researcher for the feasibility pilot trial. “I’m Sarah and I live in Peterborough with my husband, little girl Elsie and my dog. I’m a self employed Stage Manager but currently working mainly as a stay at home mum. I sadly lost a little baby boy just after he was born so I feel very passionate about helping improve care for Mums and Babies in anyway I can.”

Phoebe Roberts, Lead lay researcher for our Core Outcome Set research and the Implementation Toolkit. “I’m Phoebe, from London, where I live with my partner Karl and our child Bobby, who was a breech baby. I work as a curator and producer and I’m keen to participate in research around breech birth so other parents can make informed choices and give birth in a supportive environment.”

Sharna Reid, lay research team member for the Breech Specialist Midwives study. “My name is Sharna, I live in London with my family and work as an Accounts Payable Officer. My daughter was breeched and didn’t turn around, even with two attempts of ECV. I gave birth to her at 38+5 via physiological breech birth also known as “vaginal breech birth”. The experience I went through and how it made me feel mentally at the time has made me want to be apart of this research. I hope my story helps other women in the same position to be reassured, positive and feel safe as the experience of pregnancy is already daunting. I am motivated to participate in this project not only to help the researchers but to help women in the same position I was in to feel reassured, safe and positive whilst experiencing being pregnant with/or giving birth to a breech baby whether that is naturally or via a c section.”

Laura Berkeley, Patient and Public Involvement Group. “My name is Laura. I grew up in the heart of Surrey which is where I live now with my family & I’m a Mummy to two girls. They changed my life personally & professionally through their births, totally changing my career & life path. After the birth of my 1st daughter in 2016 I became a childbirth educator & breastfeeding supporter, entered the birth world which is now something I’m extremely passionate about. Since then I have written my own antenatal education programme & breastfeeding courses as well as becoming a doula. After my second daughter was breech I struggled to find skilled professional support but when I did, we went on to have a beautiful breech home birth. I’m passionate about all aspects of pregnancy, birth & beyond but particularly breech birth, the lack of education, knowledge & skilled support. I hope to support families with breech births in my role as a doula & to help the OptiBreech project develop & progress.”