I have a background in public and maternal health. My work focuses on understanding the maternity experiences and maternal and newborn health needs of under-researched and under-served women. I have a specific interest in the intersection between maternity and migration. Methodically, I engage with qualitative participatory and creative research methods in my research.

I am currently working on the ethnographic component of the NIHR-funded Core Study – an implementation science study evaluating the Core Competency Framework to improve multi-professional practice in maternity and neonatal care.

Other research projects on which I have previously worked include the development and evaluation of a community-based intervention to increase timely initiation of antenatal care among a socially disadvantaged and ethnically diverse community, and a project seeking to understand the intergenerational health impacts on children born to asylum-seeking mothers. I completed my PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, exploring the perinatal experiences of Afghan refugee women while making state-unauthorised journeys through Serbia into the European Union.

Enquiring about potential PhD supervision

Esther is open to co-supervising PhD students on topics of refugee / migrant (maternal) health, equity in, and experiences of, maternity care.

If you’re thinking of applying for one of our PhD programmes and are looking for potential supervisors, please email nmpc_pgr_enquiries@kcl.ac.uk listing the names of the supervisors you’ve identified as having expertise in your chosen area, along with your CV and a short research proposal. 

Our Postgraduate Research Team will contact supervisors on your behalf and get back to you. If you have any queries in the meantime, please use the email address above, rather than contacting potential PhD supervisors directly, because they are unable to respond to initial enquiries.