Miss Paula-Maria Cummins

About

I qualified as a Midwife in 2012 and have a wealth of experience and expertise as a clinical midwife. I have held senior positions on the wards, co-led management of the birth centre and the early pregnancy unit and implemented the set up and management of triage. I joined the university in 2018 as a lecturer and quickly established myself as a senior lecturer in 2020. I am module lead for Midwifery Profession and Practice (1st year) and teach across other modules on the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

I am department Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion having a particular interest in Anti-racist pedagogy. I strive to increase minoritised student experiences on the midwifery programmes, as well as advancing cultural competence to enhance students' knowledge, practice and wellbeing. I continue to develop my professional expertise in this subject area and am instrumental in the department's Tackling Racism working group.

I am an aspiring early career academic researcher and have been involved with previous and current bid applications. I completed the Master of Research in Education in November 2023. My dissertation entitled 'A Team-Based Approach to Dismantle Systemic Barriers, Unlearn Racism and Embrace Race Equity.' Being acutely aware of the racial disparities and poorer outcomes for Black women in maternity services, I am keen to influence critical midwifery studies through my developing research and advance racial equity in Black maternal healthcare.