Academics from the Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health (CMWH) traveled to Winterhur, Switzerland with the Swiss European Mobility Programme.
The education and research programme, organised by the team at Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), involved a workshop with midwives from across Europe ( Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany) discussing midwife-led care.
Professor Vanora Hundley and Dr Dominique Mylod were also invited to give a lecture on the latent phase / early labour as part of the final Gebstart conference.
They presented recently published research that was included in thespecial issue in Women & Birth at the end of last year.
This meeting and collaboration with colleagues from across Europe builds on the work of the International Early Labour Research Group.
Relevant papers:
Mylod DC, Hundley V, Way S, Clark C (2023) Can a birth ball reduce pain perception for women at low obstetric risk in the latent phase of labour? The Ball Assisted Latent Labour (BALL) randomised controlled trial. Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.11.008
Grylka-Baeschlin S, Hundley V, Cheyne H et al (2023) Early labour: an under-recognised opportunity for improving the experiences of women, families and maternity professionals Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.09.004

A fantastic opportunity to showcase your social science research!
The annual Family Science Day in Dorchester on Sunday, 17th March 2024, was a vibrant celebration of the British National Science Week. This free event aims at making science accessible and engaging for families, providing a platform for learning and discovery in a fun and interactive way. With an attendance of 800 enthusiastic visitors, the event showcased 20 hands-on science stalls. BU was represented by staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. Contributors included Demetra Andreou (Fish Through Time), Amanda Korstjens (Voices in the Jungle), and Genoveva Esteban (Hidden World of Microbes), alongside Kirthana Pillay (postdoctoral researcher) and undergraduate students Dan Stevens and Jacob Tate from the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences. Xun He (Head of MINE Research Cluster, Psychology) and Fred Charles (Head of Department for Creative Technology) led a stall on Measuring Social Behaviour with VR & Brainwaves, with assistance from PhD student Damla Kuleli, research assistant Charlie Lloyd-Buckingham, and BU alumnus Rianna Green. BU Student Ambassador Lily Bater provided exceptional support throughout the day.





The BU 



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Register now to attend the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – Wednesday 3 December 2025
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