Our results are now available here
We are a team of researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience from City University London. We are collaborating with researchers at the universities of Sussex, Kings College, Stirling, Oxford, York, Hull, the NCT and Maternal Mental Health Change Agents. Members of the core project team and research group are given below.
Susan Ayers
Professor of Maternal and Child Health, City, University of London.
I lead MATRIx and specialise in perinatal mental health, particularly anxiety and birth trauma. I have worked in this area for 25 years and before being a researcher I was a mum and single parent which showed me first hand the need for research evidence to drive change in this area. Women’s voices are at the heart of what we do and everyone who takes part in our research has the potential to make a difference. We are very grateful to our MATRIx team and all our participants for helping make this happen.
Becca Webb
MATRIx Research Fellow, Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research, City University of London
I am the research fellow for MATRIx so am conducting the reviews and working with expert stakeholders. I am a postdoctoral research psychologist and completed my PhD on Attentional biases and the mother-infant relationship in 2017. I have led the evidence reviews and am currently working on disseminating the findings and recommendations from the MATRIx project.
Nazihah Uddin
MATRIx Research Assistant, Centre for Maternal & Child Health Research, City University of London
I was the research assistant for MATRIx. I am a radiographer and completed my Masters in Clinical Research in 2019. I also work part-time as the administrator for the Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research at City, University of London. I am pleased to work on MATRIx to make a difference to the care women get in pregnancy.
Liz Ford
Senior Lecturer in Primary Care Research, Brighton & Sussex Medical School
I am a Senior Lecturer in Primary Care Research at Brighton & Sussex Medical School. I have worked in various postdoctoral positions at the University of Sussex, Barts and the London Medical School, and Brighton & Sussex Medical School. My research focuses on mental health in primary care and community settings, with a particular focus on methods for using electronic health data such as patient records. My interest in perinatal mental health started with my doctoral research on Childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder.
Judy Shakespeare
General Practitioner (GP), Oxford
I am a retired GP with a longstanding interest in perinatal mental health. I previously worked as the GP champion for perinatal mental health at the Royal College of General Practitioners and published the report Falling through the Gaps: Perinatal mental health and General Practice. I also previously worked at the University of Oxford National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit.
Abigail Easter
Senior Postdoctoral Fellow in Implementation Science, Kings College London
I am a research psychologist who specialises in perinatal mental health. My doctoral research looked at the effects of eating disorders on pregnancy and motherhood and my current research focuses on improving care for women with perinatal mental health problems. I recently completed a fellowship looking at what influences the detection and response to maternal life threatening clinical complications or deaths among women with severe perinatal mental illness.
Agnes Hann
Research and Evaluation Manager, NCT
I work for the NCT as a Research & Evaluation manager and work with researchers in perinatal mental health and vulnerable groups (including young parents, single parents). I have worked in social research for over ten years. I worked in mental health research at the McPin Foundation and completed my PhD in Anthropology, with a focus on gender and economy.