Mandie Scamell is a Senior Midwifery Lecturer and Programme Director of the MSc Midwifery course at City, University of London. She teaches on both our post-registration and pre-registration Midwifery courses, and is involved in a variety of research including specialising in risk and midwifery care.
Discovering Midwifery
My interest in midwifery immerged out of my own lived experience of pregnancy and birth. It was this that spurred me on to undertake Medical Anthropological MRes investigating women’s journeys through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period and my publications in the late 1990’s report on this work. I trained to be midwife after completing this postgraduate research degree.
Academia
My first undergraduate degree, at the University of Durham, was in Anthropology. Staying at Durham to complete my MRes and I then went to Brighton University to do my midwifery training. I was eventually lucky enough to get funding which enabled me to combine my interest in midwifery and medical anthropology first in a Masters programme in Research Methods funded by my employing NHS Trust and finally in a PhD in Health social policy funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Working as a Midwife
I worked as a midwife for thirteen years predominantly in a case-loading model of care in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. I have taught at the University of Durham; Brighton University; Kings College London and City, University of London.
Lecturing at City
I teach on the post and pre-registration programmes. On the MSc Midwifery course at City I teach a module called Risk in Midwifery Practice which draws from my area of research expertise. On the BSc programme I teach bioethics and professional practice and midwifery clinical skills.
My main research interest is in risk and midwifery care. Recently I have been involved in research in induction of labour, vaginal breech birth, female genital cutting and midwifery pre-registration education.
Both elements of my job – research and teaching – provide the opportunity to make a meaningful impact upon midwifery care and it is a commitment to this goal that keeps me going. The job is diverse, involving a range of teaching and researching activities. It is this rich and diverse working environment that I enjoy.
The Student Experience
The midwifery academic team here at City have a wealth of both clinical and research expertise. Furthermore, we are all passionate about woman-centred, kind and evidence-based midwifery care. The students here at City don’t just learn how to be safe and competent, they learn how to be considered, heuristic and courageous midwives.
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