Our people

Midwife, educator & PhD Student, Mpho is a lecturer of midwifery in the Faculty of Health. Mpho has 15 years of clinical midwifery practice and has worked as a clinical midwife in Darwin and Africa. Mpho was born and raised in rural Zimbabwe and she migrated to Australia in 2006. Mpho attained her midwifery qualification at CDU and completed a Master of International Health degree with Curtin University. Mpho is passionate about women's empowerment and maternal health. 

Anvitaa is a dentist with a Master’s in Health Services Administration and a keen interest in Health Economics and Health Policy. Anvitaa is currently undertaking a PhD at the Molly Wardaguga Institute for First Nations Birth Rights, to conduct an economic evaluation of the Birthing in Our Country service and its long term benefits to the First Nations mums and bubs.

Clinical Research Coordinator at the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, Federation Office. RN / RM, MACN, MACM, Member of the HiPPP EMR-Collective. Adjunct Lecturer at James Cook University Townsville, College of Public Health, Medical & Veterinary Sciences, in the Public Health & Topical Medicine discipline. Extensive Flight Nurse experience throughout rural and remote Northern Australia. Critical Care Nursing & Midwifery background in ICU/CCU/HDU/NICCU. Passionate researcher in the remote, prehospital and aeromedical field. Previous research and current PhD topic aims to improve remote, prehospital, aeromedical maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Donna Hartz is a registered nurse and midwife, academic, researcher and currently holds the post of Professor and Clinical Chair in the Midwifery School of Nursing and Midwifery at the Western Sydney University.

As a member of the Kamillaroi people of north eastern New South Wales, she is best known for her work in maternal health research especially "Birthing on Country" initiatives, focused on Aboriginal maternal health.

Hartz has focused on developing and implementing community-controlled, holistic, continuity of midwifery care models and birth centres.[2] She has been an advocate for women-centred continuity of care through caseload midwifery models.[3]

Emeritus Professor Lesley Barclay AO began her career as a midwife but recently has become known an educator, health services researcher and systems reformer. Her work has improved maternal child health services in urban and remote Australia and internationally. Professor Barclay has led NHMRC and ARC grants with many being rural, remote or Indigenous focussed.

Sally Tracy is the Professor of Midwifery at the University of Sydney and conjoint Professor of Midwifery, School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW. She has published widely on the epidemiology of preterm birth; birth centre care; admission to neonatal care and the safety of midwifery group practice and stand-alone maternity units. Educated in midwifery in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, Sally was awarded the world’s first professional doctorate in midwifery in 2003. She was one of 15 clinicians across Australia appointed to the inaugural Clinical Advisory Committee of the national Independent Hospital Pricing Authority of Australia. 

Nigel is a midwifery researcher and lecturer. Prior to his academic appointment he had 30 years of clinical practice working in metropolitan and regional hospitals around Australia and the United Kingdom. He completed his PhD in 2013, researching sterile water injection techniques for the management of back pain in labour. His research into the use of water injections to relieve pain in labour continues alongside studies into supporting physiological labour and birth.

Robyn is a registered midwife, nurse and family, child and maternal health nurse (MCaFHN) with 50 years experience.  She was awarded a PhD for her research into why so many women were experiencing painful nipple trauma in the early postnatal period. She is also the founder of the gentle and intuitive method of breastfeeding known as The Thompson Method and has been influential in helping women all over the world strengthen their resolve in themselves and their instinctive skills.  In June 2023, Robyn was honoured to receive the Order of Australia Medal in recognition of her contribution to midwifery and breastfeeding.

Dr Sue Moore is a  public health researcher with a keen interest in addressing health service disparities. Sue worked as a nurse in Alice Springs for more than 10 years before moving into research, including undertaking a post-doctoral fellowship at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France. She has work on numerous large scale competitively funded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cancer and cardiac research programs, as an epidemiologist in the Queensland Health COVID-19 Emergency Response Team, and more recently as the Program Manager of the Birthing on Country Centre for Research Excellence in the Molly Wardaguga Institute for First Nations Birth Rights.

Liz has been a midwife since 1995 and has been in private practice for the past 16 years. Liz is well known for her lobbying and advocacy at all levels of government and she was in the first group of Medicare midwives in Australia.  Her main levels of acumen are in policy and business development.  She has an MBA from Griffith University. Liz is currently the Managing Director of My Midwives and her midwifery goal is to ensure that every woman in Australia has a midwife who she knows providing care in birth. Liz is passionate that every woman feels informed, safe, respected and cared for during this special time.

Mel is an Aboriginal woman descending from the Gumbangirr and Dharawal nations. She lives in Wandandian country within the Yuin Nation. Having completed a Bachelor of Midwifery and Master of Primary Maternity Care, Mel is the Midwife and Birthing on Country Project Officer for the Waminda South Coast Women’s Health & Welfare Aboriginal Corporation. Mel is passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of her people and is responsible for coordinating the Shoalhaven Birthing on Country model from a community perspective to ensure the community voices are being heard and put into practice.