I'm a registered nurse and midwife with extensive clinical practice in Scotland and Australia, predominantly in community nursing/midwifery and practice nursing.  I have worked within a home birthing service and also managed chronic disease management, well woman and vaccine clinics.  I then moved into public health developing an obesity strategy for the NHS Highland, smoking cessation services and coordinated a government funded midwifery training programme in Queensland Australia.  My academia career includes, teaching nursing and midwifery at University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and University of Stirling. During my lectureship at University of Stirling I undertook the role of International Lead, setting up partnership agreements with oversees institutions and Lead Midwife in Education (LME).  LME is also part of my current role. 

As well as personal tutor responsibilities I have provided academic supervision to Health Visiting Masters Dissertation students, Clinical Doctoral and PhD students.   I have been a contributing member of Public Health and Maternal Health Research Groups as well as a committee member of university ethics groups, responsible for reviewing and approving health research ethics applications and providing feedback.

My PhD was a mixed methods study which involved statistical analysis of routine data and an exploratory case study of diabetes self-management.  I have since then been part of diabetes research group undertaking work around gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and prevention of type 2 diabetes.  This includes a systematic review of GDM prevalence and CSO funded type 2 diabetes prevention in GDM women and prediabetes individuals. 

I have also been part of a team who have surveyed health behaviours in student nurses in Scotland and Australia and undertaken qualitative interviews with a cohort in each area. 

I am part of an NMAP group commissioned by Scottish Government to undertake a systematic rapid review of advanced midwifery practice roles.

I teach behaviour change theories and diabetes including GDM and prevention as well as research sessions for nurses and midwives. 

I have led a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) approval for the BSc and MSc programme and been involved in an Institutional Lead Review.