Professor Jane Sandall appointed NIHR Senior Investigator

Jane Sandall, Professor of Social Science and Women's Health has been appointed as a Senior Investigator by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). She is the only midwife to currently hold this accolade.

Senior Investigators are the NIHR’s pre-eminent researchers and represent the country’s most outstanding leaders of clinical and applied health and social care research. Senior Investigators will provide leadership to the NIHR Faculty, expert advice to the NIHR Director, and promote clinical and applied research in health and social care. The award includes £15,000 annually to be used to support the Senior Investigator’s work.

The NIHR have also invited Professor Sandall to work with their Academic Training Advocates in non-medical professions focusing on midwifery. Their role is to act as ambassadors for careers in health research, to promote NIHR training opportunities and to support and advocate for individuals from non-medical professional backgrounds who want to pursue a clinical academic career. All of the advocates are senior academics, with many recognised by the NIHR as Senior Investigators.

Professor Sandall said: “I am delighted to get this award for my achievements. I would like to use the funding to allow me to build research capacity in implementation science and maternal and newborn health and develop international collaborations. My innovative position working across the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine and King’s Improvement Science has been instrumental in supporting the cross-disciplinary research that is required to understand effective implementation and improvements in care for women and babies.”

Professor Sir Robert Lechler, Executive Director of King’s Health Partners and Vice-Principal (Health), King’s College London said: “This award is a reflection of the outstanding contribution that Professor Sandall has made to midwifery research. As the only midwife to currently hold the NIHR Senior Investigator award, she continues to lead the way in using research to drive improvements in care for women.”