Of babies that are stillborn, there are 40% that we don't know the cause, which makes it difficult to understand. That’s why the focus of my future research is to help prevent it happening in the next pregnancy.
Dr Caroline Ovadia, Chadburn Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Women & Children’s Health
29 July 2019
Caroline Ovadia named Star Researcher at Tommy's Awards
Dr Caroline Ovadia has been recognised by Tommy’s charity for helping women have a healthy pregnancy and baby.
Tommy’s charity funds research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, and provides pregnancy health information to parents.
Each year, the Tommy’s Awards are held to celebrate the incredible supporters, families, researchers, brands and healthcare professionals who support the charity and their core values.
Dr Caroline Ovadia, Chadburn Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Women & Children’s Health, received the Star Researcher award for her exceptional commitment to promoting interest in pregnancy complications research in the community.
Dr Ovadia, recently completed her PhD focussing on the effects of pregnancy on metabolic changes, including the gut microbiome and metabolome. Her work also includes examining the maternal and fetal consequences of metabolic disorders of pregnancy – predominantly cholestatic pregnancy and gestational diabetes.
Caroline was a lead author on the largest worldwide study of cholestatic pregnancy which increased the ability to identify which women are at increased risk of stillbirth. Caroline said these findings are already changing how women with such pregnancies are managed by enabling the avoidance of early induction of labour and the associated detrimental effects of prematurity, while recognising the 10 per cent of women with higher risk of stillbirth and delivering tailored personalised care accordingly.
Caroline is “incredibly flattered” by Tommy’s award and said it reflects how much support she has received from her supervisors, the maternal and fetal disease group and the research midwives at King’s to undertake and disseminate her research.
A lot of my research has been driven by seeing women and their families, how they cope with adverse pregnancies and how they manage to keep going.
Dr Caroline Ovadia, Chadburn Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Women & Children’s Health
She also sung Tommy’s praises: “Tommy advocates for patients and provides midwives with real understanding and expertise. They have an unbelievable understanding of the science behind a lot of the pregnancy complications.”
Hear more from Caroline about her journey and research here.